ISLAMABAD — Pakistan has awarded 23 offshore oil and gas exploration blocks to four consortia led by local energy firms, marking the country’s first offshore licensing round in nearly two decades.
The Ministry of Energy announced on Friday that the awarded blocks — out of 40 offered — cover approximately 53,500 square kilometres. The successful bids came from consortiums led by Oil and Gas Development Company Limited (OGDCL), Pakistan Petroleum Limited (PPL), Mari Petroleum Company Limited, and Prime Energy, a private firm backed by Hub Power Company (Hubco).
Collectively, the winning groups have pledged around $80 million in exploration work commitments over the next three years, the ministry said. Total investment could reach $750 million to $1 billion if exploration advances to the drilling stage.
Among the international partners involved is Turkiye’s national oil company TPAO, which secured a 25% stake and operatorship in one block through a joint bidding agreement with PPL. Other partners include United Energy Group of Hong Kong, Orient Petroleum, and Fatima Petroleum, part of Pakistan’s Fatima Group conglomerate.
According to the ministry, the first phase of the awarded projects will involve detailed geophysical and geological studies, including seismic data acquisition, processing, and interpretation to better understand the hydrocarbon potential of Pakistan’s offshore basins. The second phase will include exploratory drilling in identified prospects.
A recent assessment by U.S.-based petroleum consultancy DeGolyer and MacNaughton suggested significant untapped hydrocarbon potential in the country’s offshore areas.
Pakistan’s 300,000-square-kilometre offshore zone, bordering Oman, the UAE, and Iran, has seen only 18 exploration wells drilled since independence in 1947 — too few, experts say, to properly gauge its potential.
The federal government also announced plans to launch the Offshore Bid Round 2025, offering additional exploration blocks in the Indus and Makran basins to attract further local and international investment.
Pakistan currently imports about half of its oil needs and is seeking to boost domestic exploration after past setbacks, including the failed Kekra-1 offshore well in 2019, which led to the withdrawal of U.S. oil major ExxonMobil.
