On 14 December 2017, it was announced that two bids submitted by a consortium of Total S.A., Eni International BV and JSC Novatek in Lebanonâs First Offshore Licensing Round had been approved by the cabinet. The consortium has been awarded Blocks 4 and 9. Exploratory drilling is expected to commence in early 2019. The initial exploration phase of the licences will last up to five years with a possible one year extension. The First Offshore Licensing Round closed on 12 October 2017. The Total consortium was the sole bidder, submitting two bids, one for Block 4 and one for Block 9. No other bids were made. The Lebanese Government was offering five offshore blocks (1,4,8,9 and 10) for exploration and production. Fifty-two international companies were pre-qualified to participate in the licensing round (46 pre-qualified at initial launch of the round in 2013 and an additional six companies pre-qualified at a second round in February/March 2017).  Â 
Lebanon, Block 9