From Uche Usim, Abuja
The Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) on Wednesday, disclosed plans to hold a mini bid round for seven offshore blocks covering an area of approximately 6,700 km2 in water depths of 1,150m to 3,100m.
This is a move towards galvanising new exploration and drilling activities in the prospective deep waters offshore of Nigeria.
The Chief Executive Officer of the Commission, Mr Gbenga Komolafe, who made the disclosure in Abuja, said the assignment will be the first in a series of bid rounds, aimed at further development of this prospective petroleum basin.
According to him, the success of the mini bid round will ensure all stakeholders gain value from the country’s resources, whilst paying close attention to reduction in carbon emissions, as well as overall environmental, social and governance (ESG) considerations.
“It will be held in accordance with the Petroleum Industry Act 2021 (PIA), with its enhanced legal and regulatory frameworks that seeks to encourage new investors and investments into the next phase of exploration in this region.
“The mini bid round will be managed by the NUPRC, in line with the provisions of the PIA, as the statutory body responsible for ensuring compliance with petroleum laws, regulations, and guidelines in the Nigerian upstream petroleum industry.
“The National Data Repository (NDR) of NUPRC and our multi-client partners are delighted and ready to support the Mini Bid Round underpinned by high-quality datasets. The blocks have extensive 2D and 3D seismic data coverage, including multi-beam and analog data. Additionally, a remarkable quality, 3D MegaSurveyPlus reprocessed Pre-stack Time Migration (completed October 2022), with angle stacks and gathers is also available to prospective bidders. Links to all data can be accessed via the dedicated NUPRC portal”, he explained.
Komolafe added that the mini bid round is a market-driven programme and will follow a transparent and competitive procurement process designed to attract competent third-party investors from across the world that have the capability and proficiency in operating in deep-water environments.
“Historically, this mini bid round intends to build on the successes of the last bid round that held in April 2007 during which 45 blocks, drawn from the inland Basins of Anambra, Benue and Chad; the Niger Delta Continental Shelf; Onshore Niger Delta and Deep Offshore were put on offer. The 2007 bid round was held under a different regulatory regime (the Petroleum Act, 1969) and generated massive interest and participation with its attendant revenue which made the exercise a success.
He revealed a pre-bid conference is scheduled for January 16, 2023, to provide potential applicants with an opportunity to ask questions they may have concerning the mini bid round process and requirements, after which interested companies will be invited to submit their pre-qualification applications by 31st Jan 2023.