DGPC provisionally awards 10 onshore exploration blocks to MariEnergies

The Directorate General of Petroleum Concessions (DGPC) has provisionally awarded 10 new onshore exploration blocks to MariEnergies, one of Pakistan’s largest exploration and production (E&P) companies.

“These blocks have been awarded after competitive bidding on the basis of work units committed by various E&P companies in the Pakistan E&P Onshore Bid Round 2025 (30th April 2025) conducted by the DGPC,” MARI said in its notice to the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) on Wednesday.

According to the notice, MARI will operate seven blocks as an operator. At the same time, the remaining three will be developed under joint venture (JV) arrangements— “one each with Oil and Gas Development Company Limited (OGDCL), Pakistan Petroleum Limited (PPL) and Prime Global Energies Limited (Prime) as operators in respective blocks”.

It added that Government Holdings Pvt Ltd (GHPL) and Turkish Petroleum Overseas Company (TPOC) are also JV Partners.

Out of the 10 blocks awarded, eight are located in Balochistan, namely, Ziarat North, Ahmad Wal, Padag, Chagai, Dalbandin, Merui Merui West and Kalat South. The remaining two, i.e. Khiu-II and Sukhpur-II, are located in Punjab and Sindh, respectively.

The E&P, formerly Mari Petroleum Company Limited (MARI), said that the formal award of petroleum rights in the blocks is conditional on i. Grant of petroleum exploration licenses by the government ii. Execution of petroleum concession agreements with the government iii. Execution of joint operating agreements among the respective JV Partners and the completion of related legal/procedural formalities.

“The acquisition of the new exploration blocks aligns with our strategic objective of expanding our acreage to add new hydrocarbon resources for the company and to support Pakistan’s long-term energy security and self-reliance,” said MARI.

Earlier this month, MARI discovered gas production from its Soho-1 exploratory well in the Sujawal Block in Sindh.