(WO) — Liberia will launch its 2026 Offshore Direct Negotiation Licensing Round on Oct. 14, offering 29 offshore blocks across the Liberia and Harper basins as the country seeks to attract new exploration investment, according to Energy Capital & Power.
The Liberia Petroleum Regulatory Authority (LPRA) will formally present the round during African Energy Week 2026 in Cape Town. The acreage is supported by more than 50,000 line-km of 2D seismic and over 31,000 km² of 3D seismic data.
Prequalification for the round opened Aug. 28 following an investor event in Houston earlier that month. Companies can establish their technical and financial eligibility before submitting expressions of interest and entering negotiations for individual blocks.
Available acreage targets Cretaceous structures, deepwater basin-floor fans and structural closures. Liberia’s offshore petroleum system shares geological characteristics with other Atlantic margin plays, including neighboring Côte d’Ivoire, where recent discoveries have increased industry interest in the region.
TGS has reprocessed 12,000 km of 2D seismic using pre-stack depth migration, along with 5,100 km² of 3D data from a larger 26,000-km² volume. Additional gravity, magnetic, well-log and multi-client datasets are available to support evaluation of the acreage.
The offering includes blocks in the Liberia basin, as well as blocks in the Harper basin. Other acreage within the broader 29-block grid is subject to existing commitments and agreements.
Several international operators already hold interests offshore Liberia. TotalEnergies holds blocks LB-6, LB-11, LB-17 and LB-29, covering approximately 12,700 km², while Atlas Oranto Petroleum holds LB-15, LB-16, LB-22 and LB-24.
Recent activity has also emerged around Harper basin block LB-32. Australian independent Bounty Oil & Gas agreed in September to acquire PetroQuest Liberia Deep Water, which holds an exclusive letter of engagement with the National Oil Company of Liberia to negotiate a production-sharing contract for the block.
Liberia is using a direct-negotiation licensing model that allows qualified companies to pursue individual technical and commercial opportunities. Applicants are evaluated on financial strength, technical capabilities and offshore experience before advancing to negotiations over proposed exploration programs.
Prequalification is valid for five years, allowing eligible companies to participate as offshore opportunities become available. The licensing round is being organized by Energy Capital & Power in partnership with LPRA.
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