The Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) on Wednesday announced the Nigeria Mini Bid Round 2022 for seven offshore
blocs.
This, according to the Commission, covers an area of approximately 6,700 km2 in water depths of 1,150m to 3,100m.
Engr. Gbenga Komolafe made the disclosure at a briefing in Abuja stating that Mini Bid Round is an opportunity to spur new exploration and drilling activities in the prospective deep waters offshore Nigeria.
“In this year’s Mini Bid Round, seven (7) Offshore blocks covering an area of approximately 6,700 km2 in water depths of 1,150m to 3,100m are put on offer,” he said.
According to him, the Mini Bid Round which is the first in a series of bid rounds, aimed at further development of this prospective petroleum basin will be held in accordance with the Petroleum Industry Act 2021 (PIA).
“The Mini Bid Round will be managed by the NUPRC, in line with the provisions of the PIA, as the statutory body responsible for ensuring compliance with petroleum laws, regulations, and guidelines in the Nigerian upstream petroleum industry.
“The National Data Repository (NDR) of NUPRC and our multi-client partners are delighted and ready to support the Mini Bid Round underpinned by high-quality datasets,” he said.
He further explained that the blocks have extensive 2D and 3D seismic data coverage, including multi-beam and analog data.
He added that the bid round is a market-driven program that will follow a transparent and competitive procurement process designed to attract competent third-party investors from across the world that has the capability and proficiency in operating in deep-water environments.
“Historically, this Mini Bid Round intends to build on the successes of the last bid round that was held in April 2007 during which a total of forty-five (45) blocks, drawn from the inland Basins of Anambra, Benue, and Chad; the Niger Delta Continental Shelf; Onshore Niger Delta and Deep Offshore were put on offer.
“The 2007 bid round was held under a different regulatory regime (the Petroleum Act, 1969) and generated massive interest and participation with its attendant revenue which made the exercise a success,” he added.
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