Libya awards new oil, gas blocks to Chevron, Eni, others in first bidding round since 2007

By Ahmed Elumami

TRIPOLI, Feb 11 (Reuters) - Libya awarded oil and gas exploration blocks to foreign firms on Wednesday, including Chevron, Eni, QatarEnergy and Repsol, in its first licensing round in nearly two decades as it seeks to revitalise the sector despite political risks.

The National Oil Corporation (NOC) announced the winners of its first bidding round since 2007, allocating key acreage across the onshore Sirte and Murzuq basins and the offshore Sirte basin in the gas-rich Mediterranean.

Italy’s Eni and QatarEnergy secured rights to Offshore Area 01, strengthening a strategic partnership between them that has expanded across the Mediterranean. A separate consortium of Spain’s Repsol, Hungary’s MOL and Turkey’s state-owned TPOC won Offshore Area 07.

U.S. major Chevron secured the Sirte S4 exploration license, marking a significant return to Libya’s most prolific onshore basin. In the southern Murzuq basin, Nigeria’s Aiteo won the M1 license, representing a rare entry by an African independent into the country’s upstream sector.