Liberia Opens New Licensing Round for 15 Offshore Oil Blocks

Liberia has opened a new licensing round for 15 offshore oil exploration blocks, with interested companies invited to submit letters of intent by April 15, 2027.

Marilyn T. Logan, director general of the Liberia Petroleum Regulatory Authority (LPRA), announced the round on October 14 during African Energy Week in Cape Town. The process follows Liberia’s 2024 licensing round, which resulted in eight production-sharing contracts signed with TotalEnergies and Oranto Petroleum in 2025. The new round uses a direct negotiation model, allowing companies to negotiate contract terms and exploration commitments for individual blocks.

Of the 15 blocks on offer, 12 lie in the Liberia Basin, while three are located in the Harper Basin near the border with Côte d’Ivoire.

The licensing process operates under Liberia’s 2014 petroleum law and its 2019 amendments. The LPRA opened prequalification on August 28, with approval valid for five years. Applicants must demonstrate their technical expertise, financial capacity and experience in offshore exploration.

TotalEnergies and Oranto Hold Eight Blocks

Liberia’s previous licensing round established a presence for two companies across eight offshore blocks.

French energy company TotalEnergies secured blocks LB-06, LB-11, LB-17 and LB-29, covering approximately 12,700 square kilometres in the southern Liberia Basin. Its exploration commitments include a 3D seismic survey campaign, according to the African Energy Chamber.

Nigerian oil company Oranto Petroleum secured four additional blocks: LB-15, LB-16, LB-22 and LB-24. The eight contracts signed in 2025 followed the licensing round launched in 2024.

The 15 blocks now on offer and the eight covered by existing contracts represent only part of Liberia’s offshore acreage. Energy Capital & Power, the organiser of African Energy Week, identifies 29 offshore oil blocks in the country.

Developments outside the two licensing rounds have also attracted attention. On September 22, Australian company Bounty Oil announced its acquisition of PetroQuest Liberia Deep Water, which holds a letter of commitment for a block in the Harper Basin.

Liberia Highlights Offshore Seismic Data

The LPRA is using existing geological data to attract exploration companies. Liberia has more than 50,000 linear kilometres of 2D seismic data and over 31,000 square kilometres of 3D seismic data available for offshore exploration.

Geophysical services provider TGS has also reprocessed 12,000 kilometres of 2D seismic data and 5,100 square kilometres of 3D data to improve subsurface imaging.

These datasets can help prospective investors assess geological structures and identify areas that warrant further exploration before committing capital to offshore projects.

Liberia has yet to confirm a commercial offshore oil discovery. The new licensing round will therefore test investor interest in the country’s petroleum prospects, with decisions likely to depend on the available geological evidence, exploration costs, contractual terms and the commitments required from successful applicants.