19 Nigerian Oil Block Licences Due for Expiry This Year

No fewer than 19 oil licences in Nigeria’s upstream sector have stated expiry dates falling within 2026, according to the Nigerian Upstream Concession Situation Report released by the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) in August.

The report covers petroleum exploration and production concessions across Nigeria’s upstream oil and gas industry, including Petroleum Prospecting Licences (PPLs) and Oil Prospecting Licences (OPLs).

The 19 licences comprise 12 PPLs and seven OPLs with stated tenure dates ending in 2026. The report also identifies three licences with expiry dates in 2025 and several others scheduled to expire in 2027.

Among the PPLs listed are PPL 220, held by Navante Exploration and Production Limited, with an expiry date of October 16, 2026; PPL 232, held by Kizi Oil and Gas Services Limited, expiring November 16; and PPL 235, held by Oceangate Engineering Oil & Gas Limited, expiring November 1.

Other licences listed include PPL 223, with a stated expiry date of November 30, 2026, and PPL 251, scheduled to expire on November 16. PPL 266, held by AOS Orchard Petroleum Development Limited, has a stated expiry date of November 21, 2026.

The report also lists PPL 277, PPL 275 and PPL 254 with February 14, 2026 expiry dates. This means their stated tenure dates had already elapsed when the August report was published.

However, the report does not state that these concessions have been revoked or cancelled.

The development comes as the Federal Government seeks to attract new investment into Nigeria’s upstream oil and gas industry, increase crude oil production and encourage exploration of previously underutilised assets.

The expiry of the licences could therefore become an important issue for regulators, existing operators and potential investors as Nigeria continues efforts to strengthen its petroleum sector.