On 23 February 2020, the General Directorate of Mining and Petroleum Affairs (MAPEG) awarded Turkish Petroleum Corp (TPAO) a new and exclusive exploration licence for block M47-b4. The onshore area is located in the SE Turkish province of Siirt (District X) and is surrounded by exploration licences held by various companies. It covers an area of around 153 sq km and will be valid for an initial five-year exploration term, which can be extended up to a maximum period of nine years after extensions.<P />The area covered by block M47-b4 has been previously licenced to various operators but remains largely unexplored. So far seven wells have been drilled on the acreage, with some of those exhibiting oil shows. Aladdin Middle East Ltd submitted the original application for the block in July 2019. Rival applications were submitted by Guney Yildizi Petroleum AS (GYP), Karma Yatirim Enerji AS (Karma) and TPAO. The latter now operates the block with a 100% interest.
TPAO awarded a new and exclusive exploration licence for block M47-b4. 