No fewer than 19 oil licences in Nigeria’s upstream sector have stated expiry dates falling within 2026, according to the Nigerian Upstream Concession Situation Report published by the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC).
The report, released in August 2026, provides details of petroleum exploration and production concessions across Nigeria’s upstream oil and gas industry, including Petroleum Prospecting Licences (PPLs) and Oil Prospecting Licences (OPLs).
Of the 19 licences, 12 are PPLs while seven are OPLs. The report also shows that three licences had stated expiry dates in 2025, while several others are scheduled to expire in 2027.
The development comes as the Federal Government seeks to attract new investment into the upstream sector, increase crude oil production and intensify exploration, particularly through the development of idle and underutilised assets.
Among the PPLs with 2026 expiry dates is PPL 220, held by Navante Exploration and Production Limited, which is due to expire on October 16, 2026. PPL 232, held by Kizi Oil and Gas Services Limited, has a November 16 expiry date, while PPL 235, held by Oceangate Engineering Oil & Gas Limited, is scheduled to expire on November 1.
The report also lists PPL 223 with an expiry date of November 30, 2026, another PPL with a December 28 expiry date, and PPL 251, which is due to expire on November 16.
Other PPLs in the 2026 expiry category include PPL 266, held by AOS Orchard Petroleum Development Limited, with a stated expiry date of November 21, 2026.
PPL 277, PPL 275 and PPL 254 are listed with February 14, 2026 expiry dates, meaning their stated tenures had elapsed by the time the August report was published. However, the report does not indicate that the concessions had been revoked or cancelled.
OPLs Also Approaching Expiry
Several Oil Prospecting Licences are also listed with 2026 expiry dates.
They include OPL 228, held by Sahara Upstream Production Nigeria Limited, with a July 9 expiry date; OPL 289, operated by Cleanwaters Consortium, which expires on September 9; OPL 809 and OPL 810, both with June 14 expiry dates; OPL 276, which expires on August 14; and OPL 2010, with a December 23, 2026 expiry date.
OPL 215, held by Noreast Petroleum Nigeria Limited, is listed with a May 3, 2026 expiry date.
The concessions span onshore, shallow-water and offshore acreage across different parts of Nigeria’s upstream sector.
For instance, PPL 220 covers 44.816 square kilometres in the onshore Niger Delta and is associated with the Abigborodo field, derived from OML 49.
PPL 232 covers 32.366 square kilometres on the continental shelf and is associated with the Amaniba field, derived from OML 67, while PPL 235 covers 28.121 square kilometres on the continental shelf and is associated with the Udara field, derived from OML 70.
New Licensing Round
The expiry schedule comes amid a fresh wave of upstream licensing by the regulator.
In July 2026, the NUPRC issued 19 Petroleum Prospecting Licences to 12 successful awardees under the 2024 Licensing Round and the 2022/2023 Mini Bid Round.
The commission said the new licences covered deep offshore, shallow-water and continental shelf acreage.
Among the licences awarded on July 8, 2026 were PPL 2007, PPL 3011, PPL 2006, PPL 2003-DO, PPL 2005, PPL 3017, PPL 2002, PPL 304-DO and PPL 306-DO. Most have stated expiry dates of July 7, 2031.
Others include PPL 2008, held by Tulcan Energy E&P Company Limited, and PPL 2009, held by Broron Energy Limited.
The new awards, alongside licences approaching the end of their stated tenures, highlight the continuing turnover of Nigeria’s upstream acreage as the regulator implements the Petroleum Industry Act framework.
Expiry Does Not Necessarily Mean Revocation
However, the NUPRC report does not establish that all 19 licences will automatically leave the hands of their current holders on their stated expiry dates.
Some concessions are marked for “possible optional tenure extension” or conversion, while others are identified as having “conversion in progress”.
Among those marked “conversion in progress” are PPL 219, held by Nuway Oaklane Limited; PPL 236, held by Emadeb Energy Services Limited; PPL 243, held by Waltersmith Petroman Limited; and PPL 258, held by Halkin Exploration and Production Limited.
The report also uses an asterisk to identify concessions undergoing processing for possible optional tenure extension or conversion. In the OPL category, OPL 228, OPL 809 and OPL 810 carry the asterisk.
The 19 licences should therefore be understood strictly as concessions whose stated expiry dates fall within 2026, rather than as licences that the NUPRC has confirmed as terminated or revoked.
The report separately lists Petroleum Exploration Licence 1 (PEL 1), held by TGS-Petrodata Offshore Services Limited, with an expiry date of April 20, 2026. The licence covers a 56,500-square-kilometre 3D seismic and GravMag concession in the deep offshore Niger Delta.
Petroleum Mining Leases (PMLs) do not materially add to the 2026 expiry count, as the leases listed in the report generally have much longer tenures. For example, PML 1 runs until March 2043, while PML 79 runs until March 2046.
