Country snapshot · North Africa

Libya

Export rules: None foundData as of 10 October 2026
9.8MW
Solar added in 2026 (Ember estimate, all segments)1N5,N6
– (not shown: the 2025 base is under 10 MW)
Change on 20251N1
2025: 8.2 MW (Ember estimate)
77.4%
Access to electricity, 20242N7
1.67million
People without electricity, 2024 (DERCA calculation)2N7

Solar added each year

Ember estimates of all solar (utility-scale, distributed and off-grid), MW. 2026 is Ember’s full-year estimate.

Libya: solar added per year, 2023–2026, MW (Ember estimates)2023: 6.6 MW; 2024: 6.5 MW; 2025: 8.2 MW; 2026 estimate: 9.8 MW6.620236.520248.220259.82026E
Libya: solar added per year, 2023–2026, MW (Ember estimates)2023: 6.6 MW; 2024: 6.5 MW; 2025: 8.2 MW; 2026 estimate: 9.8 MW6.620236.520248.220259.82026E
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Solar added per year, MW
YearMWBasis
20236.6Ember estimate
20246.5Ember estimate
20258.2Ember estimate
2026E9.8Ember estimate, full year

0.1% of Africa’s estimated 2026 solar additions (9.8 of 17,449.4 MW).1

Who has electricity

Share of people with access to electricity, 2024: rural and urban.

Libya: access to electricity, rural vs urban, 2024Rural –, urban 100.0%, national 77.4%.National 77.4%Urban 100.0%0%25%50%75%100%
Libya: access to electricity, rural vs urban, 2024Rural –, urban 100.0%, national 77.4%.National 77.4%Urban 100.0%0%50%100%
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Access to electricity, 2024
AreaAccessYear
Rural–2024
Urban100.0%2024
National77.4%2024
Rural –N2Urban 100.0%Without electricity 1.67m (DERCA calculation)

– Not available in sources reviewed. See the notes at the foot of the page.

World Bank WDI, 2024.2

How reliable is the grid for business?

Firms experiencing electrical outages, compared with Sub-Saharan Africa and the world.3,4N3,N8

No survey dataN3,N8 · Sub-Saharan Africa 72.4% · World 47.5% (2025)

The rules for small-scale generationN4,N9

Export rules: None found

Regulator
No dedicated electricity regulator; REAOL covers renewables
Main utility
GECOL (state utility)
Export rulesNone found. No comprehensive renewable-energy legal framework and no statutory feed-in tariff.5Medium confidenceShow detail

None found. No comprehensive RE legal framework and no statutory FiT

Sources: 5
How exports are creditedNone found5Medium confidenceShow detail

None found. Pricing for RE projects is set by contract

Sources: 5
Size limits and licensingNone foundShow detail

None found

Mini-grid rulesNone foundShow detail

None found

Market access beyond the utilityNone found. The offtaker is usually a public entity (GECOL).5Medium confidenceShow detail

None found. Offtaker is usually a public entity under Law 17/1984 (GECOL)

Sources: 5
Aggregation / VPP rulesNone foundShow detail

None found

“None found” means we could not locate a rule in public sources reviewed to 10 October 2026, not that one cannot exist.

Recent developments

Dated developments, 2024–2026.

  1. Aug 2025

    $10bn solar programme announced, targeting 4 GW by 2035 (headline only; low confidence).6

The full report

This is a snapshot. The full story is in Africa’s Invisible Grid.

The full analysis, with 17 exhibits on the boom, the data gap, the economics and the four building blocks, is in Africa’s Invisible Grid.

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