Somalia reboots terms of licensing round debut
The petroleum ministry is poised to publish a new timetable and hold a Houston roadshow
Somalia’s first ever offshore licensing round has suffered months of delays, but the government is gearing up for another push. It has equipped itself with a revamped production sharing agreement (PSA) template and says the enactment of its delayed petroleum law is imminent. The 15-block licensing round, covering 20,000km2, is also now backed by seismic data from Spectrum Geo (part of Norwegian-based TGS). The round was formally launched in February complete with a detailed timetable, featuring a closing bid deadline of 7 November 2019. However, while presentations have been made in London, and at conferences in New Delhi and Cape Town since then, the process has stalled while the country’s
Also in this section
1 April 2026
Golden Pass’s startup offers QatarEnergy a timely boost but may also force a difficult choice between honouring disrupted contracts and capitalising on soaring spot LNG prices
1 April 2026
It is not a case of if or when, but the length and magnitude of economic damage from elevated oil prices
1 April 2026
The US-Iran conflict demonstrates the need for diversification in several senses of the word. It also exposes the limits of Washington applying pressure on major oil and gas producers it considers geopolitical adversaries
31 March 2026
Disappointing results in its bidding round are a reality check for Libya, and global exploration generally
