TotalEnergies has shown interest in 2025 licensing round, says NUPRC

The Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Company (NUPRC) says TotalEnergies has indicated interest in the 2025 licensing bid round, which is set to begin on December 1.

In a statement on Tuesday, Eniola Akinkuotu, NUPRC spokesperson, said the company expressed interest during a high-level meeting with Gbenga Komolafe, the commission’s chief executive officer.

According to the statement, the TotalEnergies delegation was led by Nicolas Terraz, the president of TotalEnergies Exploration and Production, and included Mathieu Bouyer, chief executive of TotalEnergies Upstream Companies in Nigeria, along with other senior officials.

During the meeting, Terraz praised the NUPRC for the transparency and credibility demonstrated during the 2024 mini-bid round.

He expressed confidence that the commission’s reform-driven processes and strengthened governance would reflect positively in the 2025 edition.

Terraz noted that the clarity and fairness shown in the previous round had increased investor confidence and that lessons learned from the 2024 exercise would help shape expectations for the upcoming licensing round.

He also reaffirmed TotalEnergies’ long-term commitment to Nigeria’s upstream industry, describing the country as a strategic hub for the company.

“Drawing from the 2024 bid round, the 2025 edition would be positive,” Terraz said.

He added that TotalEnergies is “optimistic about the new bid round”.

Also speaking, Komolafe emphasised that the commission functions not only as a regulator but also as a strategic business enabler, in line with the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) 2021.

The NUPRC boss said the era of regulatory ambiguity in the upstream sector has ended.

“Now, in Nigeria, we have a regulator that steps in to address the issues as an enabler,” he said.

Komolafe also commended TotalEnergies for its recent projects executed under the Obagi host communities development trust (HCDT).

He described them as evidence of the company’s commitment to community development and compliance with the PIA’s host community provisions.

Komolafe further encouraged the company to take part actively in the 2025 licensing round, which the commission aims to use to attract high-value investments, new players, and increased exploration across both frontier and mature terrains.