Sierra Leone's national petroleum authority announced on Wednesday that it has signed an agreement with Shell, permitting the oil major to conduct advanced geological and geophysical surveys in multiple offshore blocks.
The exploration license covers an area of approximately 20,600 square kilometers and includes basin modeling and petroleum system analysis. This project is similar to an agreement signed with Eni in October of last year and is expected to enhance the understanding of Sierra Leone's deepwater oil and gas potential.
The Sierra Leone Petroleum Directorate stated that the license will provide a data-driven framework for technical evaluation and future participation in licensing opportunities.
The Director of the Petroleum Directorate said in a statement, "Our strategy is clearly focused on de-risking the basin through high-quality data, attracting credible global players, and accelerating the path towards exploration drilling."
A Shell spokesperson noted that the company typically engages with governments through non-binding agreements to acquire data and assess potential opportunities. However, this does not indicate any commitment to proceed further, and any subsequent steps will depend on regulatory processes and due diligence.
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