A roadmap for the first licensing round

On January 4 2017, the Lebanese government approved what many observers have been waiting for since March 2013: two oil and gas decrees, without which the country’s first licensing round could not proceed. One delineated offshore blocks, another detailed the model exploration and production agreement and set out the tender protocol. To signal its determination, the government passed the decrees on the first meeting since gaining Parliament’s confidence. This was a remarkable achievement on the surface, and marketed as such by the government. For others, it was perceived as a long overdue fix. Roadmap With the decrees ratified in late January, the Ministry of Energy (MoE) announced which blocks will be open for bidding, as well as a roadmap outlining the steps for Lebanon’s long-delayed offshore licensing round. Block one in Lebanon’s northern waters, block four in the center, and blocks eight, nine and ten in the south will be