Benue State has secured three of the 37 oil and gas blocks awarded by the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) in the 2025 licensing round, marking a turning point in the state’s energy history.

The blocks, PPL 800, PPL 801 and PPL 902, span the Benue Trough and Anambra Basin across Otukpo, Apa and Okpokwu local government areas. They carry the legacy of five exploration wells, the oldest drilled in 1954.

The award followed a commercial bid conference held on July 21, at the Transcorp Event Centre, Abuja, where 31 companies emerged successful bidders for 37 of 50 blocks offered. NUPRC said the round attracted 143 companies submitting about 200 bids, with 13 blocks receiving no offers.

PPL 800, in the Southern Benue Trough covering Otukpo and Apa, was awarded to Dakoda & U Limited. PPL 801, also in the Southern Benue Trough, went to Eyre Energy Limited. PPL 902, in the Anambra Basin with its footprint in Okpokwu, was awarded to South-borne Oil and Gas Limited.

NUPRC described the round as historic, noting that frontier inland basins, including the Benue Trough, Anambra Basin, Chad Basin and Benin Basin, attracted strong investor interest alongside traditional Niger Delta areas for the first time. Of the 37 awarded blocks, 15 are in frontier basins.

PPL 800 contains four historic wells drilled by Shell and TotalEnergies between 1954 and 1967, including Ocheku River-1, which reached 6,020 feet, the deepest in the three blocks. PPL 902 contains the Opiarum-1 well, drilled by Shell in 1955 and considered primarily gas-prone. PPL 801 has no prior drilling history.

The renewed interest could unlock fresh exploration activity, including seismic surveys and appraisal drilling, if reserves are confirmed commercially viable, Industry observers said.

Under the Petroleum Industry Act 2021, host communities are entitled to benefits through the Host Communities Development Trust, funded from a share of operators’ expenditure. (The Nation)