Sierra Leone launches new offshore initiative

The West African nation taps two-year-old UK firm in an attempt to spur interest in its undeveloped upstream

Sierra Leone has signed a reconnaissance permit agreement (RPA) with London-listed independent Wildcat Petroleum to identify offshore “blocks which have the potential to yield commercially viable oil finds”. The RPA covers 20 deepwater blocks covering 24km² and grants Wildcat the “non-exclusive right” to conduct studies for six months. The agreement does not give Wildcat any pre-emptive rights over acreage, but the company will negotiate for petroleum exploration and production licences, “if block(s) with the potential of containing commercially viable oil discoveries are identified”. The London-listed firm’s “top priority is to secure a stake in a producing asset”, but the Sierra Leone expl