Nigeria Opens 220 Oil Blocks in Massive Licensing Drive
The Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission has unveiled plans to award 220 oil blocks across the country’s onshore and offshore basins in its latest hydrocarbon licensing bid round. The offering includes 59 deep offshore blocks, marking one of the largest licensing rounds in recent years.
The blocks span multiple basins including the Benue Trough with 41 blocks, Chad Basin with 40 blocks, Sokoto Basin with 28 blocks, and Bida Basin with 16 blocks. Seven blocks remain open in the offshore Niger Delta, with additional opportunities in the Anambra and Benin basins.
NUPRC plans to accelerate deepwater and offshore projects through a cluster development model enabling shared infrastructure and joint development strategies. The initiative comes as Nigeria’s oil output reached 1.8 million barrels per day in July 2025 through the ‘Project One Million Barrels per Day Initiative.’
Commission Chief Executive Gbenga Komolafe highlighted that deep and shallow water clusters present critical opportunities to increase output and attract long-term investment, emphasizing the need for collaboration to scale up exploration efforts.
Source: offshore-energy.biz
