Nigeria’s upstream oil regulator said on Tuesday that 31 companies had emerged winners of 37 oil and gas blocks in the country’s 2025 licensing round, following a competitive bidding process.
The Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) said 143 companies submitted 200 bids for 37 of the 50 blocks offered in the round, which was held in Abuja on July 21.
The awarded blocks are located across several oil and gas regions, including the Niger Delta onshore and shallow waters, the Niger Delta deep offshore, as well as frontier basins such as the Benin, Anambra, Chad and Benue basins.
The regulator said 16 blocks were located in the Niger Delta onshore, 18 in shallow waters, one in deep offshore, while the remaining blocks were spread across the frontier basins.
“After a keenly contested bidding process, 31 companies have emerged winners of 37 oil and gas blocks,” the commission said in a statement.
NUPRC said the level of investor interest in frontier basins marked a first for Nigeria’s energy sector, with previously less-developed areas attracting significant participation.
Among the successful bidders were SSonic Petroleum Limited, CFP Pipeline and Flowlines, Dutchford E&P Limited, Rosem Energy Limited, Pivot-GIS Limited, Network E&P, Asharami, LexOil, Gupsco Energy Limited, Concept-Reel Petroleum Services Limited and Clinton Oil Field.
Other winners included Nikstallis, Stardeep Petroleum, Dakoda & U Limited, Southborne Oil and Gas Limited, Lanaka Petroleum, Highban Resources Limited and Eyre Energy Limited.
The commission said the successful bidders would only receive final awards after paying the required signature bonuses and obtaining approval from the petroleum minister in line with the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) 2021.
NUPRC Chief Executive Oritsemeyiwa Eyesan urged the winning companies to complete the required payments promptly and begin developing the assets, warning that failure to meet stipulated conditions within 90 days could result in the loss of the awards under the regulator’s “drill or drop” policy.
The licensing round is part of Nigeria’s efforts to attract investment into its oil and gas sector and expand exploration activity, particularly in frontier basins.



Earlier, Central Province Permanent Secretary Milner Mwanakampwe said the province was emerging as a major energy hub, with projects under development expected to raise installed generation capacity to 437 MW by December 2026.
ZESCO Managing Director Justin Loongo said the additional 100 MW from Chisamba Phase II, together with the existing 100 MW from Phase I, had created Zambia’s largest solar power complex with a combined capacity of 200 MW.
Loongo said the project reflected efforts to diversify Zambia’s electricity mix in response to climate change and thanked the Ministry of Energy, traditional leaders, PowerChina and development partners for supporting its implementation.
Head of the Presidential Delivery Unit Kusobile Kamwambi said the government’s energy diversification strategy was improving electricity security through policy reforms led by the Ministry of Energy.
In a vote of thanks, Chief Chamuka said government reforms had helped attract investment and create jobs in the area.
He urged residents to protect electricity infrastructure from vandalism and pledged to make more land available for the development of an additional 50-MW solar power plant.

