Lebanon: tired of waiting
The country has postponed its offshore bid round deadline amid continuing domestic and geopolitical uncertainties
When exactly Lebanon will join the Eastern Mediterranean party still isn't clear. Egypt and Israel have made huge natural gas discoveries in their waters and Cyprus is hoping soon to follow suit. Lebanon, by contrast, hasn't yet reached the starting line. Back in 2013, the signs looked so promising. No fewer than 46 IOCs were prequalified for a process that would eventually see some of them tapping the estimated 95 trillion cubic feet of gas under Lebanese waters. But then politics put a hammer in the works. For 30 months Lebanon had no president and no effective government. Early this year, with the political system back on track, the energy ministry announced that the bid round would proce
Also in this section
9 April 2026
The April 2026 issue of Petroleum Economist is out now!
9 April 2026
Offshore operators are working through an FID backlog as the rig market consolidates, helped by improving project economics and a renewed security drive
2 April 2026
Alongside a rapid continued build-out of renewables, China’s latest five-year plan stresses the value of domestic hydrocarbon production for energy security and calls for increased Russian gas imports
2 April 2026
The government is taking important steps to revive domestic production, lift investment and benefit from the geopolitical crisis even if more needs to be done in the longer term
