No fewer than 19 oil licences in Nigeria’s upstream sector have stated expiry dates falling within 2026, according to the latest Nigerian Upstream Concession Situation Report released by the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC).
The report, published in August 2026, covers petroleum exploration and production concessions across the country, including Petroleum Prospecting Licences (PPLs) and Oil Prospecting Licences (OPLs).
The affected licences comprise 12 PPLs and seven OPLs with stated tenure dates expiring in 2026. The report also listed three licences with expiry dates in 2025 and several others scheduled to expire in 2027.
Among the PPLs listed are PPL 220, held by Navante Exploration and Production Limited, which has an expiry date of October 16, 2026; PPL 232, held by Kizi Oil and Gas Services Limited, expiring on November 16; and PPL 235, held by Oceangate Engineering Oil & Gas Limited, due to expire on November 1.
Also listed are PPL 223, with a November 30, 2026 expiry date, PPL 251, expiring November 16, and PPL 266, held by AOS Orchard Petroleum Development Limited, with an expiry date of November 21, 2026.
The report further contains PPL 277, PPL 275 and PPL 254, all showing expiry dates of February 14, 2026, meaning their stated tenures had elapsed by the time the August report was released. However, the document does not indicate that the licences had been revoked or cancelled.
Several OPLs are also listed with 2026 expiry dates. They include OPL 228, held by Sahara Upstream Production Nigeria Limited, with an expiry date of July 9, 2026; OPL 289, operated by Cleanwaters Consortium, expiring September 9; OPL 809 and OPL 810, both showing June 14 expiry dates; OPL 276, expiring August 14; and OPL 2010, with a stated expiry date of December 23, 2026.
OPL 215, held by Noreast Petroleum Nigeria Limited, is also listed with a May 3, 2026 expiry date.
The affected acreage cuts across onshore and offshore locations and different categories of upstream concessions.
For example, 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 linked to 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.
The expiry schedule comes amid renewed licensing activity by the Federal Government as it seeks to attract investment, increase crude production and encourage exploration of underutilised assets.
In July 2026, NUPRC issued 19 Petroleum Prospecting Licences to 12 successful awardees under the 2024 Licensing Round and the 2022/2023 Mini Bid Round.
The newly awarded licences cover deep offshore, shallow-water and continental shelf acreage. Several, including PPL 2007, PPL 3011, PPL 2006, PPL 2003-DO, PPL 2005, PPL 3017, PPL 2002, PPL 304-DO and PPL 306-DO, were granted on July 8, 2026, with most having expiry dates of July 7, 2031.
However, the NUPRC report makes clear that the 19 licences with 2026 expiry dates should not automatically be interpreted as licences that will leave their current holders.
Some concessions are marked for “possible optional tenure extension” or conversion, while others are listed 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.
In the OPL section, OPL 228, OPL 809 and OPL 810 carry an asterisk indicating that they are being processed for possible optional tenure extension or conversion.
The report therefore identifies the stated expiry dates of the affected concessions but does not confirm that all 19 licences will be terminated or revoked when those dates are reached.
A separate Petroleum Exploration Licence, PEL 1, held by TGS-Petrodata Offshore Services Limited, is also listed with an expiry date of April 20, 2026. The 3D seismic and GravMag concession covers 56,500 square kilometres in the deep offshore Niger Delta.
The Petroleum Mining Lease section does not add to the 2026 oil-licence figure, as the PMLs listed generally have much longer tenures. For example, PML 1 runs until March 2043, while PML 79 runs until March 2046.
The development comes as NUPRC continues to promote new upstream investment while encouraging operators to develop existing assets.
The commission has maintained that the licensing programme is designed to deepen investment, accelerate exploration and expand Nigeria’s hydrocarbon reserves.
For holders of the affected licences, the expiry dates are significant regulatory milestones, particularly where conversion, renewal or extension may be required.
However, the NUPRC report does not provide the final outcome of renewal or extension applications for individual licences. It remains unclear whether the affected concessions will ultimately be renewed, converted, extended or otherwise dealt with under the applicable regulations.
NUPRC was contacted for clarification on the matter on Sunday and reportedly promised to respond the following day, but had not done so as of Tuesday.
Reacting to a similar development last year, the commission said the law provides for optional tenure extensions, depending on the terrain, the operator’s performance, engagement with the commission and applicable guidelines.
Energy expert Professor Emeritus Wumi Iledare has also said licence renewal would likely depend on whether meaningful exploration or development work had been carried out on the affected assets.
He noted that oil licences operate under the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) and have predetermined expiry or relinquishment dates, with renewal dependent on meeting requirements set by the upstream regulator.
Iledare added that licence holders should engage the commission early, particularly when they are aware that their concessions are approaching expiry.
The Federal Government has repeatedly warned that it will not allow oil and gas assets to remain dormant.
The Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Oil), Heineken Lokpobiri, has said the government intends to enforce the “drill or drop” policy, under which idle oil and gas assets could be taken back from operators.
2025 Bid Round
During the 2025 commercial bid round, NUPRC Chief Executive Oritsemeyiwa Eyesan warned successful bidders that securing an oil licence should be viewed as the beginning of an obligation to develop the asset rather than as an achievement in itself.
Eyesan stressed that operators must begin work on awarded assets and comply with the “drill or drop” provisions of the PIA.
She warned that operators who fail to undertake development activities within three years risk losing their assets.
Eyesan also clarified that emerging as the highest-ranked bidder does not automatically amount to the final grant of a Petroleum Prospecting Licence.
Successful bidders must meet post-award requirements within 90 days, including providing applicable guarantees, paying the signature bonus and first-year rent, and executing the relevant contractual documents.
She warned that any winning bidder that fails to meet the prescribed conditions within 90 days of receiving the offer could have the award invalidated, after which the commission may approach reserve bidders according to their ranking.
