Lebanon has extended the deadline for the results of the second pre-qualification round in the country’s first-ever offshore licensing round, to give companies more time to respond to requests from the Lebanese Petroleum Administration (LPA). Results of the pre-qualification round were originally expected to be announced today (13 April), however, it has now been extended by nearly two weeks to 28 April.
The extension is to enable to LPA to send requests to the companies, which have submitted pre-qualification applications and ask them to provide additional data and documents and clarifications, authorities said in a statement.
As of 31 March, nine new companies sent applications to take part in the licensing round, including India’s ONGC Videsh; Russia’s PJSC Lukoil; Malyasia’s SapuraKencana Energy; Algeria’s Sonatrach International Petroleum E&P; Qatar Petroleum International; Egypt’s Advanced Energy Systems; Iran’s Petropars; JSC Novatek; and the trio of Vega Petroleum, Edgo Energy, and Petroleb SAL.
The new nine join a list of 14 companies that were already prequalified in 2013, when Lebanon first tried to launch its offshore licensing round.
The round will open up five blocks for bidding: 1, 4, 8, 9, 10. Applicants for each block are expected to be announced on 22 September. Winners are set to be announced by the end of the year.