In 2017 LOGI reviewed the legislative framework surrounding the oil and gas sector in Lebanon. One of its core recommendations was addressed to the Lebanese government and Minister of Energy and Water asking them to disclosure all oil and gas related contracts. In March 2018, the Minister of Energy and Water, published Lebanon’s first signed Exploration and Production Agreements, making…

As Lebanon struggles to purchase oil products for power generation, the current caretaker administration is turning to outdated solutions that continue to raise questions about their feasibility and efficacy, specifically when it comes to importing fuel oil from Iraq. Since July 2020, Beirut and Baghdad have been holding talks over fuel oil supplies for Lebanon’s power generation, knowing well that…

The Lebanese Minister of Energy and Water (MOEW) will publish soon an updated strategic environmental assessment report pertaining to the upstream oil and gas sector in offshore Lebanon, following an initial report published in 2012. The preparation of the updated report will be based on the recommendation of the Lebanese Petroleum Administration (LPA) and on extensive consultation with the Lebanese…

Lebanon is on the uncertain road to making the first commercially viable discovery withthe Ministry of Energy and Water (MoEW)’s approval of exploration plans by the ItalianENI International B.V., the French TOTAL S.A., and the Russian JSC NOVATEK consortiumfor offshore blocks 4 & 9 in the first quarter of 2018. The approval of the exploration planscomes 5 years after the…

Many countries use extra-budgetary funds to manage their natural resource revenues.[1] In fact, all but a handful of large oil producers have established a natural resource-financed special fund. Together, these funds manage trillions of dollars in resource revenues annually. In some cases, these funds are merely accounts within the state treasury, created for political purposes to demonstrate a commitment to financing…

Executive Summary This policy brief analyzes the subcontracting process in the nascent Lebanese oil and gas sector from the perspective of transparency. The possibility that contractors and subcontractors engage in corrupt contractual arrangements, away from governmental or public scrutiny, is especially high in countries with weak institutions and ineffective civil society organizations. Examples of these corrupt arrangements include the award…

Limiting risks of corruption and enhancing transparency and accountability mechanisms in Lebanon’s oil and gas sector are critical for the future of the country. LOGI hired international and local law firms specialized in petroleum law to review Lebanon’s petroleum legislation. The identified potential red flags, risks of corruption and lack of transparency are detailed in an 84-page report. These findings were…

The administrative track of the Petroleum Sector in Lebanon started in 2010 upon the adoption of the Offshore Petroleum Resources Law, which constitutes the legal framework governing the management of the sector. It was followed by a series of executive decrees known as the “Petroleum Activities Regulations”. In November 2012, the Lebanese Petroleum Administration was created by virtue of a…

The Government of Lebanon is unlikely to see any hydrocarbon revenues over the next decade. The most optimistic projections are that oil and gas revenues would start to be collected at least seven to eight years from now and will not exceed two percent of GDP even at peak production. These projections are conditional on a commercial discovery being made…

The Government of Lebanon is unlikely to see any hydrocarbon revenues over the next decade. The most optimistic projections are that oil and gas revenues would start to be collected at least seven to eight years from now and will not exceed two percent of GDP even at peak production. These projections are conditional on a commercial discovery being made…