Under the patronage and in the presence of the Prime Minister, Dr. Nawaf Salam, the consortium comprising TotalEnergies, QatarEnergy, and Italy’s Eni signed the gas exploration agreement for Block 8 with Lebanon, during a ceremony held late this morning at the Grand Serail.
The agreement was signed on behalf of the Lebanese side by the Minister of Energy and Water, Joe Saddi; on behalf of TotalEnergies by Roman de La Martinière, Managing Director of TotalEnergies Lebanon; on behalf of QatarEnergy by Ali Abdullah Al-Mannai, Head of Exploration; and on behalf of Eni by Andrea Cosi, Managing Director of Eni Lebanon.
The ceremony was attended by the President of the Lebanese Petroleum Administration (LPA), Ghabi Daaboul, LPA Board Members Wissam Al-Zahabi and Wissam Shbat; Julien Pouget, Head of Middle East and North Africa at TotalEnergies; the Italian Ambassador to Lebanon, Fabrizio Marcelli; the Qatari Ambassador, Saud bin Abdulrahman Al Thani; and the representative of the French Ambassador, Bruno Pereira.
Lebanon looks forward to continuing its exploration journey by promoting the open (non-awarded) blocks, with the aim of intensifying exploration activities and achieving a commercial discovery that would serve as a driver for the national economy and support sustainable development. In this context, the Ministry of Energy and Water, in cooperation with the Petroleum Administration, is working on an internal reform process aimed at streamlining and updating the rules and conditions for granting exclusive petroleum licenses in Lebanese offshore waters. This is in preparation for presenting the results by the Minister of Energy and Water and seeking approval of the amendments intended to modernize licensing procedures for qualified and specialized companies operating in Lebanese waters. At the same time, work continues with Parliament to pass the onshore exploration law.
Minister Saddi
“I thank you for your presence with us today. We are very pleased to gather today with the Lebanese Petroleum Administration and with representatives of the three international companies—TotalEnergies, Eni, and QatarEnergy—to sign the consortium’s entry into Block No. 8.
This step once again confirms the consortium’s commitment to continuing exploration activities in Lebanon despite all challenges, and reflects ongoing confidence in the petroleum potential of Lebanese offshore waters.
We look forward to the consortium preparing and swiftly implementing a 3D seismic survey campaign as soon as possible, which will allow for improved geological and technical understanding of Block No. 8 and a more accurate assessment of available opportunities, with particular focus on the block’s area of approximately 1,200 square kilometers.
In this framework, the Ministry of Energy and Water, in cooperation with the Petroleum Administration, is preparing the file to launch the fourth licensing round. Together, we are working on finalizing the tender specifications to attract international companies to invest in the open offshore blocks and to enhance exploration and production activity in Lebanon.
Thank you, and we hope that this phase will constitute a fundamental step toward realizing our aspirations for the oil and gas sector and achieving positive results that serve Lebanon’s interest.”
In response to a question on whether there are guarantees that the consortium working in Block 8 will provide Lebanon with an official technical report on its activities, Minister Saddi replied:
“Regarding Block No. 9, Lebanon has already received an official report, which is available at the Ministry and the Petroleum Administration. Oil companies do not spend tens of millions of dollars only to avoid finding oil or gas; it is in their interest to make a discovery. It so happened that in the specific location drilled in Block 9, no oil was found. The detailed official report exists, and under the Right of Access to Information Law, a summary can be obtained through the Petroleum Administration’s website.”
He added: “This underscores the importance of the seismic survey in Block No. 8 to understand the block’s detailed geology, upon which exploration will be based.”
“The Petroleum Administration will present, in about one month, the amendments that need to be introduced to the tender specifications in order to increase the number of companies submitting bids. This is what we will work on and present, at the appropriate time, to the Council of Ministers,”
Noting that stability in Lebanon and the region would significantly help in this process.
Note that Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam received a delegation from TotalEnergies, headed by Julien Pouget, Head of the Middle East and North Africa Department at the company. The meeting focused on upcoming steps, key milestones, and the implementation timeline for the next phase of cooperation.
