Nigeria targets local upstream players with marginal field round
Reinvigorating production on acreage abandoned by the majors could be a tough task
Nigeria's drive to open up its marginal acreage to indigenous players is set to intensify, as the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) prepares to launch a fresh licensing round in 2018 incorporating up to 46 fields, largely in and around the Niger Delta. However, which fields will be on offer and the timing remain uncertain. This would be the first formal marginal field round for more than a decade. One proposed in 2013 came to nothing and the oil-price crash of 2014 ruled out a revival in the intervening years. Several lists of onshore and offshore fields that could be included are circulating in Nigeria in the absence of an official announcement, but it looks likely that some promising
Also in this section
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
1 April 2026
Golden Pass’s startup offers QatarEnergy a timely boost but may also force a difficult choice between honouring disrupted contracts and capitalising on soaring spot LNG prices
1 April 2026
It is not a case of if or when, but the length and magnitude of economic damage from elevated oil prices
