Côte d’Ivoire's exploration drive rebooted
Can an overhaul of concessions lure companies to the country's frontier acreage?
The acquisition of four exploration licenses by Tullow Oil in October was a boon for Côte d'Ivoire's energy ministry, which is keen to build on modest oil and gas production by reawakening interest in frontier acreage. The ministry has just finished a revision of the country's block map covering 87,000 sq km of sedimentary basin, mostly offshore. Some blocks have been redrawn to make them more attractive by amalgamating them with neighbours to increase their size. Ultra-deep-water acreage is now on offer in addition to onshore, shallow-water and deep-water blocks. The country is allocating blocks not via a bid round, but through direct negotiations—a process which its energy minister, Thierr
Also in this section
3 December 2024
Papua New Guinea’s LNG sector appears to be back on track, with other projects in the pipeline
2 December 2024
Crucial role of gas means country is laying the foundations to control physical and trading supply chains
30 November 2024
Decades of turmoil have left Iraq’s vast energy potential underutilised, but renewed investment and strategic reforms are transforming it into a key player in the region
29 November 2024
Although Iraq remains a major crude exporter, it is still some way from becoming a regional energy supply hub. Ambitious new cross-border schemes aim to rectify that situation
