Liberia Offers 15 Offshore Blocks In 2026 Licensing Round

Liberia has launched an offshore licensing round offering 15 blocks across the Liberia and Harper basins as it seeks to attract investment in oil and gas exploration.

Marilyn T. Logan, Director General of the Liberia Petroleum Regulatory Authority (LPRA), announced the 2026 Offshore Direct Negotiation Licensing Round at African Energy Week in Cape Town, South Africa.

Logan urged companies to submit letters of intent before the round closes on April 15, 2027.

“Whichever company makes the first discovery will play a significant role in the history of our country,” she said.

The round covers 12 blocks in the Liberia Basin — LB-1, LB-2, LB-3, LB-7, LB-12, LB-13, LB-14, LB-18, LB-19, LB-20, LB-21 and LB-23 — and three in the Harper Basin: LB-25, LB-28 and LB-33.

Exploration targets include Cretaceous structures, deepwater basin-floor fans and structural closures along the Atlantic margin.

Available data include more than 50,000 line-kilometres of two-dimensional seismic surveys and 31,000 square kilometres of three-dimensional surveys, alongside gravity, magnetic and well-log datasets.

TGS has reprocessed 12,000 line-kilometres of 2D seismic data using pre-stack depth migration and 5,100 square kilometres of 3D data to improve subsurface imaging and help investors assess exploration prospects.

“There’s a working petroleum system offshore Liberia,” said Jason Robinson, managing director at ENARJI and a former director of business development at TGS.

“It’s been a prolific system across the margin and there are significant fan-plays that go out into the very deepwater.”

Under the direct negotiation model, qualified companies can seek individual blocks and negotiate exploration programmes. Applicants must demonstrate technical capability, financial strength and relevant offshore experience.

The process is governed by Liberia’s 2014 Petroleum Exploration and Production Act and its 2019 amendments.

“Investors are not just looking to find attractive fiscal terms; they’re also looking for fiscal predictability,” said Robert Sonkarlay, LPRA’s deputy director general for finance.

He said Liberia’s terms were flexible and benchmarked and would adapt to changing market conditions and investors’ needs.

LPRA board member Kau Dorilae said the regulator sought to provide a predictable licensing and investment framework through engagement with investors.

Prequalification remains valid for five years, allowing companies to establish eligibility before pursuing specific opportunities, she said.

In a prerecorded address, Liberian President Joseph Nyuma Boakai pledged his government’s support for the round.

Preparations included an investor day in Houston on Aug. 19 and the opening of prequalification on Aug. 28.