Nigeria’s Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) says it has successfully shortlisted 161 companies to advance to the next and final stage of the Country’s 2020 Marginal Oilfield Bid Round process for fifty-seven (57) marginal oilfields in the country.

In Nigeria, a marginal field is any field that has reserves booked, and has reported annually to the DPR and has remained unproduced for ten (10) years.

The information was disclosed on Thursday, 31st December 2020, in Lagos, Nigeria, by the Head of Public Affairs, DPR, Paul Osu. He reaffirmed that one of the objectives of the Round is to actively involve indigenous companies in the upstream segment of the oil and gas industry, to provide opportunities for technical and financial partnerships for investors.

“The 2020 marginal oilfield bid round process is still ongoing in line with our published timelines on DPR website and bid portal.”

“The current status is that 161 successful companies have been shortlisted to advance to the next and final stage of the process”, he said.

In July 2020, the DPR announced that over 600 companies applied to be prequalified for the bid rounds of the marginal oilfields in the country. The Director of the Department, Auwalu Sarki, said that the number is credited to the transparency and credibility of the procedures put in place by the DPR.