Eight firms added in Lebanese bid round

April 27, 2017
The Lebanese Petroleum Administration (LPA) has designated eight more international companies “prequalified” for an offshore licensing round with bids due Sept. 15.

The Lebanese Petroleum Administration (LPA) has designated eight more international companies “prequalified” for an offshore licensing round with bids due Sept. 15 (OGJ Online, Jan. 27, 2017).

The administration had prequalified 12 companies as operators and 34 as nonoperators in the first prequalification round before licensing stalled for political reasons in 2013.

The LPA reopened the round in January, offering production-sharing contracts for 5 of Lebanon’s 10 offshore blocks.

Newly prequalifying as an operator is India’s state-owned ONGC Videsh Ltd.

Prequalifying as nonoperators are PJSC Lukoil, Sapurakencana Energy Sdn. Bhd., Sonatrach International Petroleum Exploration & Production Corp., Qatar Petroleum International Ltd., Petropars Ltd., JSC Novatek, and New Age (African Global Energy) Ltd.

Novatek had prequalified earlier in partnership with GPB Global Resources BV but withdrew from the combine to bid alone in the second prequalification round. The partnership no longer is prequalified.