Zambia: Two firms awarded OIL & GAS exploration licences
By Nawa Mutumweno – Exile Resources Incorporated and Barotse Petroleum Company have been granted licences to start exploration of oil and gas in the Eastern and Western provinces of Zambia, respectively.
According to Mines & Mineral Development minister Maxwell Mwale, Majetu Limited will soon be given three licences to explore oil and gas in three blocks in North-Western Provinces.
Exile Resources and Barotse Petroleum are expected to start exploration works after the rainy season.
“At this stage, we have issued Exile to explore in Eastern and Barotse in Western, and we will soon be issuing Majetu with three licences for three blocks in North-Western,” he elaborated.
This development follows the initial selection of seven firms for exploration of oil and gas within 23 blocks in various parts of the country (North-Western, Western, Southern, Eastern, Northern and Luapula) and these were asked to set up offices in Zambia to conform to the Petroleum Act of 2008 before they start the search for the products.
Of the seven, three are local companies namely Barotse Petroleum Company, Chat Milling Company and Majetu Limited. The foreign firms are Exile Resources of Canada, GB Petroleum of Broitain, Glint Energy of America and Petrodel Resources of Britain.
