Drone attacks on Libya's Zawiya oil refinery and power substation cause major outages

Aug 11, 2026

A series of drone strikes on Libya's Zawiya oil refinery and power infrastructure has triggered severe energy disruptions and widespread blackouts. Following an August 10, 2026 strike that destroyed a 4.5-million-liter gasoline tank, subsequent attacks on the South Zawiya substation caused complete power outages. In response, U.S. firm General Electric withdrew its technical teams, disabling over 700 MW of generation capacity. The National Oil Corporation has threatened to declare force majeure and halt operations at the country's largest operating refinery if the sabotage continues, amid rising tensions between the Tripoli government and local warlord Mohamed Bahroun.

Zawiya refinery drone attacks

▪An explosive-laden drone strike on August 10, 2026, hit gasoline-storage tank number 402-T at the Zawiya oil refinery in western Libya, igniting a massive fire that caused the tank to collapse.
▪Prior drone strikes on August 8 and August 9, 2026, targeted a naphtha reservoir and a water desalination plant linked to the Zawiya oil facilities.
▪A second drone strike on August 10, 2026, landed near a main oil tank and pipeline network at the Zawiya refinery's oil blending and filling plant without causing casualties or damage.
▪The targeted gasoline-storage tank at the Zawiya oil refinery contained approximately 4.5 million liters of fuel when it was struck on August 10, 2026.

Tripoli government warlord tensions

▪Royal United Services Institute analyst Jalel Harchaoui stated that warlord Mohamed Bahroun has been cornered by the Tripoli government and his forces are likely to resort to desperate measures.
▪Tensions have risen in western Libya between the Tripoli-based government and Mohamed Bahroun, a warlord who controls the strategic city of Zawiya.

Force majeure threat

▪The Brega Oil Company appealed to all fighting parties to stay away from vital oil facilities and depots, calling their protection a national responsibility.
▪Libya's National Oil Corporation declared a state of maximum emergency and warned it could declare force majeure and suspend operations if drone attacks on Zawiya energy assets continue.

GE technical team withdrawal

▪United States company General Electric halted all work and withdrew its technical teams from the Zawiya power station following the security incidents.
▪The withdrawal of General Electric technical teams left more than 700 megawatts of the Zawiya power plant's 1,300 megawatt total generation capacity unavailable.

Power substation outages

▪An attack on the South Zawiya substation on August 12, 2026, caused a complete power outage and loss of electricity supply to wide areas south of Zawiya.
▪Two drones targeted the Zawiya power plant, with one damaging its firefighting system and the second landing near the facility's main fuel storage.

Militia control fragmentation

▪Libya remains divided between rival administrations: the United Nations-recognized government of Prime Minister Abdul-Hamid Dbeibah in the west and the administration of Prime Minister Ossama Hammad in the east.
▪Local militias loosely allied to Prime Minister Abdul-Hamid Dbeibah's government rule much of western Libya, growing in wealth and power since the 2011 civil war.