Jan 12, 2026
TotalEnergies Secures Important Offshore Exploration License in Lebanon
TotalEnergies has made an agreement with Lebanon to acquire an offshore exploration permit in the eastern Mediterranean, adjacent to a block where it has begun its exploration, the French oil and gas giant announced on Friday.
As the operator holding a 35% stake in the permit, TotalEnergies, alongside its partners Eni (35%) and QatarEnergy (30%), has finalized the agreement with the Lebanese government for the Block 8 exploration permit.
Block 8 is positioned to the west of Block 9, where TotalEnergies undertook drilling activities for potential resources in 2023.
"Even though the drilling of the Qana well in Block 9 did not yield positive results, we remain dedicated to continuing our exploration efforts in Lebanon," stated TotalEnergies chairman and CEO, Patrick Pouyanné.
"We will now concentrate our efforts on Block 8, collaborating closely with our partners Eni and QatarEnergy, as well as with Lebanese authorities," he added.
After several years of focusing on clean energy solutions, TotalEnergies and other major international oil and gas companies are returning their attention to exploration.
TotalEnergies "revamped its exploration portfolio by securing exploration permits in the U.S. Gulf, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Algeria" in the second quarter of 2025, according to Pouyanné during the Q2 earnings call.
Moreover, TotalEnergies is working on resource development offshore Suriname, neighboring Guyana, and aims to advance development offshore Namibia in southwestern Africa.
Lebanon hopes its offshore region could harbor significant oil and gas reserves, similar to the Leviathan and Tamar fields off Israel, the Aphrodite field off Cyprus, or the Zohr gas field off Egypt.
At the end of last year, Lebanon and Cyprus entered into a maritime demarcation agreement, facilitating energy collaboration between the two nations, which includes the exploration of offshore gas fields in the Mediterranean.
Both Cyprus and Lebanon are part of the Levant Basin Province, extending across various countries' waters, including Israel, Syria, Egypt, and Turkey. A 2010 USGS study estimated that the basin contains approximately 1.7 billion barrels of oil and 122 trillion cubic feet (Tcf) of gas. Lebanon
As the operator holding a 35% stake in the permit, TotalEnergies, alongside its partners Eni (35%) and QatarEnergy (30%), has finalized the agreement with the Lebanese government for the Block 8 exploration permit.
Block 8 is positioned to the west of Block 9, where TotalEnergies undertook drilling activities for potential resources in 2023.
"Even though the drilling of the Qana well in Block 9 did not yield positive results, we remain dedicated to continuing our exploration efforts in Lebanon," stated TotalEnergies chairman and CEO, Patrick Pouyanné.
"We will now concentrate our efforts on Block 8, collaborating closely with our partners Eni and QatarEnergy, as well as with Lebanese authorities," he added.
After several years of focusing on clean energy solutions, TotalEnergies and other major international oil and gas companies are returning their attention to exploration.
TotalEnergies "revamped its exploration portfolio by securing exploration permits in the U.S. Gulf, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Algeria" in the second quarter of 2025, according to Pouyanné during the Q2 earnings call.
Moreover, TotalEnergies is working on resource development offshore Suriname, neighboring Guyana, and aims to advance development offshore Namibia in southwestern Africa.
Lebanon hopes its offshore region could harbor significant oil and gas reserves, similar to the Leviathan and Tamar fields off Israel, the Aphrodite field off Cyprus, or the Zohr gas field off Egypt.
At the end of last year, Lebanon and Cyprus entered into a maritime demarcation agreement, facilitating energy collaboration between the two nations, which includes the exploration of offshore gas fields in the Mediterranean.
Both Cyprus and Lebanon are part of the Levant Basin Province, extending across various countries' waters, including Israel, Syria, Egypt, and Turkey. A 2010 USGS study estimated that the basin contains approximately 1.7 billion barrels of oil and 122 trillion cubic feet (Tcf) of gas. Lebanon