Overview
- The energy ministry awarded licences for 23 of 40 blocks covering about 53,510 square kilometres after bids were publicly opened on Oct 31 by the DGPC with Sindh and Balochistan representatives present.
- Four local-led consortiums won the blocks—OGDCL, PPL, MariEnergies and Prime Energy—partnering with TPAO, United Energy, Orient Petroleum and Fatima Petroleum.
- Türkiye’s TPAO took a 25% stake with operatorship in Offshore Block-C, highlighting renewed regional participation.
- Phase-I commitments total 4,427 work units, or roughly $80 million over three years, focused on geological and geophysical studies including seismic acquisition and interpretation.
- Exploration drilling, dependent on Phase-I results and approvals, could bring total investment to $750 million–$1 billion under a framework based on new Offshore Petroleum Rules and a model production-sharing agreement.