Exploration
Fostering discovery and increasing Nigeria's oil and gas reserves
Exploration and Acreage Management Department
The Exploration and Acreage Management Department is a critical unit within the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC). It is responsible for monitoring and regulating exploration activities and managing concession acreages in accordance with the Petroleum Act (1969), the Petroleum Industry Act (2021), relevant regulations, guidelines, and best practices in Nigeria. Additionally, the Department ensures the sustainable exploration and development of Nigeria’s oil and gas resources to grow its reserves and increase production.
Key Responsibilities
Permits & Approvals
The Exploration and Acreage Management Department is solely responsible for issuing permits and approvals for geophysical data acquisition, geotechnical and geo-hazard evaluations, exploratory field nomenclature, naming, and well classification, core, fluid, and subsurface data acquisition, analysis, and/or export; and overseeing drilling activities (exploration, 1st appraisal, and 2nd appraisal wells). It also monitors seismic surveys, prospect evaluation, and frontier exploration activities, ensuring their management and funding align with the provisions of the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) 2021.
Data Collection & Analysis
The E&AM collaborates with academic institutions and industry stakeholders to collect, collate, analyze, and disseminate data for research and National Data Repository (NDR) archiving and management in addition to maintaining a comprehensive database of oil and gas concessions, including Oil Prospecting Licenses (OPLs), Oil Mining Leases (OMLs), Petroleum Prospecting Licenses (PPLs), and Petroleum Mining Leases (PMLs). It evaluates hydrocarbon potential in sedimentary basins, conducts licensing rounds, processes applications for license/lease allocations, assignments of interest, renewals, conversions, extensions, and relinquishments, and performs continuous evaluations of license/lease performance.
Furthermore, the Department also collaborates with multi-client data companies to conduct speculative surveys and lease data to investors and stakeholders. It compiles crude oil and gas production figures for derivation by the Revenue Mobilization Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) and provides Mapping and Geographic Information System (GIS) services.