The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has canceled its 2022 licensing round for 27 oil blocks, aimed at tapping into the country’s vast oil and gas reserves.
The announcement came via a statement posted on the hydrocarbons ministry’s X (formerly Twitter) account on October 11, citing several reasons for the cancellation, including late submissions, irregular offers, and insufficient competition.
Hydrocarbons Minister Aime Sakombi Molendo stated, “Given the above, I am obliged to declare the cancellation of the ongoing process,” and indicated that the process would be relaunched, though no specific timeline was provided.
The DRC initially launched the licensing round in July 2022, offering 27 oil blocks and three gas blocks. The move sparked condemnation from environmental groups and some of the country’s Western partners due to concerns that oil exploration in areas of the world’s second-largest rainforest could release significant amounts of carbon, undermining global climate change efforts.
In response, the Congolese government defended the need to exploit its natural resources for national development, despite the environmental backlash.
The DRC, known for its mining of copper, cobalt, gold, and diamonds, has long sought to expand its oil sector, believed to hold substantial untapped reserves.
The licensing process has faced additional controversy, with reports in November 2023 by Reuters revealing that a Canadian start-up, run from a private home, was awarded a technically complex methane extraction project in Lake Kivu, despite not meeting the tender’s financial requirements.
This latest cancellation adds another layer of complexity to Congo’s efforts to develop its oil and gas sector.
