On 21 November 2018, the Council of Ministers met and agreed on the draft agreement to award the XXVII exploration licence to Societe Nationale des Petroles du Congo (SNPC). As is the norm SNPC was awarded the licence but only holds a 15 % interest, Perenco Exploration & Production Congo Ltd (Perenco) operates the area with an 85% stake.  The licence was awarded for a period of two years and in non-renewable.  Perencoâs bid was opened on 29 March 2017.   The 565 sq km area sits atop the shelf within the Lower Congo Basin. It plays host to the 2011 Nkaba 1 oil and gas discovery and the 1985 Boatou Marine 1 oil discovery. Nkaba 1 is estimated to hold some 22 MMbo and 27,500 MMscf gas. Boatou Marine 1 is estimated to hold some 10 MMbo.
A consortium comprising Total, Eni and Perenco have been awarded Block XXVII (Marine 20)in the recent licensing round.