After winning two oil and gas blocks at the mini-bid round conducted last year, French energy major, TotalEnergies, has again signalled its strong interest in participating in the forthcoming 2025 licensing round scheduled to commence from December 1.
The President, TotalEnergies Exploration and Production, Mr. Nicolas Terraz, made the company’s intention known yesterday in Abuja when he led a high-level delegation from the company on a visit to the Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), Mr. Gbenga Komolafe.
Last September, TotalEnergies and its partner, South Atlantic Petroleum, signed the Production Sharing Contract (PSC) for the Petroleum Prospecting Licence (PPLs) 2000 and 2001 exploration licenses offshore Nigeria, which were awarded to them following the 2024 licensing round conducted by the commission.
During the meeting with Komolafe, Terraz, who was accompanied by the Managing Director/Chief Executive of TotalEnergies Upstream Companies in Nigeria, Mr. Mathieu Bouyer, and other senior executives, applauded NUPRC for delivering a transparent 2024 mini-bid round, signalling an interest in the forthcoming 2025 licensing round scheduled to commence next month.
In his remarks, according to a statement by the Head of Media and Strategic Communication at NUPRC, Eniola Akinkuotu, the TotalEnergies exploration and production president praised the NUPRC for the transparency and credibility displayed during the 2024 mini-bid round.
He expressed confidence that the 2025 round would benefit from the Commission’s reform-driven processes and enhanced governance framework.
Terraz said the company remains optimistic about new opportunities in Nigeria, noting that the clarity and fairness exhibited in the previous round had strengthened investor confidence. He added that lessons learned from the 2024 exercise will positively shape expectations for the 2025 Licensing Round.
Terraz reaffirmed the company’s long-term commitment to Nigeria’s upstream sector, describing the country as a strategic hub in its global portfolio.
He emphasised TotalEnergies’ readiness to align with NUPRC’s vision for a more competitive, transparent, and investment-driven oil and gas industry.
“Drawing from the 2024 bid round, the 2025 edition would be positive,” he said, stressing that TotalEnergies is “optimistic about the new bid round.”
In his remarks, Komolafe reiterated NUPRC’s commitment to a predictable regulatory environment. He noted that the Commission was not only a regulator but a strategic business enabler in line with the provisions of the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) 2021. According to him, the era of regulatory ambiguity in Nigeria’s upstream sector is over.
“Now, in Nigeria, we have a regulator that steps in to address the issues as an enabler,” the NUPRC helmsman stated, underscoring the Commission’s investor-centric reforms and continued drive to improve operational clarity for oil and gas companies.
Komolafe also commended TotalEnergies for its recent execution of projects under the Obagi Host Communities Development Trust (HCDT), describing the development as a demonstration of the company’s commitment to community development and the spirit of the PIA’s host community provisions.
He further used the opportunity to encourage the operator to actively participate in the upcoming 2025 licensing round, which the Commission has positioned to attract high-value investments, new entrants, and increased exploration activity across frontier and mature terrains.
Meanwhile, Komolafe has said the country has continued to record steady and measurable progress in attracting investments in the upstream oil and gas sector despite the global headwinds caused by the shift towards cleaner.
Komolafe stated this in Lagos, yesterday in his address on the last day of the two-day strategic workshop for media practitioners covering the oil and gas sector, which was organised by the corporate communication and media unit of the NUPRC.
Represented by the Deputy Director of Human Resources, Corporate Services and Administration, NUPRC, Mrs Efemona Bassey, Komolafe said: “One central takeaway from these engagements is that, globally, investments in oil and gas are declining as countries intensify the shift towards cleaner energy. Despite this global headwind, Nigeria has continued to record steady, measurable progress in the upstream sector”.
He explained that the progress has been driven by the Commission’s regulatory instruments developed under the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) and further reinforced by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s far-reaching Executive Orders.
He said this year alone, Nigeria’s daily crude oil production has on multiple occasions exceeded 1.7 million barrels per day, demonstrating the country’s capacity to surpass the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) targets.
He reiterated that Nigeria’s rig count has risen to nearly 70, with over 40 rigs active.
Komolafe mentioned that Final Investment Decisions (FIDs) valued in billions of dollars have been taken, restating that within the last 10 months, the commission has approved Field Development Plans (FDPs) worth approximately $20 billion.
Looking ahead, he said the NUPRC remains fully committed to the national aspiration of adding 1 million incremental barrels of oil per day to Nigeria’s daily production profile.
To this end, Komolafe said the Commission will conduct another licensing round on December 1, 2025, one that the agency anticipates will be even more transparent and globally competitive than the 2024 round.
“This initiative is designed to open new frontiers, unlock fresh prospects and further strengthen our reserves base”, he stated.
However, the CCE urged journalists covering the oil and gas sector in Nigeria to prioritise national interest in their reportage, stressing that as they advance these reforms and attract much-needed investments, the role of the media becomes more critical.
According to him, Nigeria’s position as Africa’s leading producer depends not just on policy, regulation and geology, but also on how the nation’s story is told.
He noted that the oil and gas sector was highly sensitive to perception and that energy journalists’ reporting has the power to reassure investors or deter them.
“It is therefore essential that while you continue to inform the public, such reportage remains factual, contextual and development oriented. The narrative must reflect Nigeria’s aspirations, opportunities, and progress, not merely its challenges.
“In this regard, I once again urge you members of the Fourth Estate, to put the national interest at the center of your work, as the country competes on the global stage for energy investments”, Komolafe stated.
Emmanuel Addeh and Peter Uzoho
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