NUPRC Approves 595 Well Re-entries, 145 New Drilling Operations, 39 Field Development Plans In 10 Months
The Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) says it has approved about 595 well re-entries, 145 new well-drilling operations and 39 Field Development Plans (FDPs) so far in 2026.
The Commission Chief Executive (CCE), Mrs Oritsemeyiwa Eyesan, disclosed the figures on Tuesday, November 10, 2026, at the management session of the 44th Annual International Conference and Exhibition of the Nigerian Association of Petroleum Explorationists (NAPE) in Lagos.
The conference theme is “Energy Security in an Era of Global Disruption: Positioning Nigeria for Resilience, Competitiveness, and Prosperity.”
Eyesan was represented by the Deputy Director, Basinal Administration, NUPRC, Ahmad Abdullahi, who said the approvals were part of the Commission’s strategy to ensure regulatory processes support production growth and energy availability.
“As a commission, we have improved our approval time level, which again reduces costs that are being wasted or for projects to continue to wait for approval,” he said.
The rising approvals, according to the presentation, reflect improvements in the Commission’s processes, which have shortened waiting periods and reduced costs operators incur while projects await clearance.
“From the regulator’s perspective, to ensure that our energy security is not threatened, we must ensure that we approve Field Development Plans and new well-drilling applications to meet our production targets,” the presentation stated.
Nigeria has more than 100 rigs, of which about 46 are actively drilling this year. The NUPRC said this represents an increase of more than 300 percent over the 2021 level.
Seismic investment
The Commission attributed the improvement to regulatory certainty, noting that investors commit capital when they are confident in the policy and operating environment.
It said the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) has strengthened confidence in the upstream sector, particularly in seismic data acquisition, which is essential for identifying new oil and gas reserves.
According to the Commission, multi-client seismic companies have invested more than $100 million in acquiring data in Nigeria since the PIA was enacted.
The investments are expected to improve understanding of Nigeria’s sedimentary basins, inform exploration decisions and support new hydrocarbon discoveries.
On security, the Commission said it had introduced initiatives, including the Advanced Cargo Declaration programme, and coordinated surveillance involving the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC), private security firms such as Tantita Security Services, and the Nigerian Navy.
Speaking on a panel at the session, Eyesan said the Commission’s responsibility goes beyond punishing errant operators and vandals. Its broader objective, she said, is to create an environment where legitimate oil production is more profitable than crude oil theft.
COURTESY: Blueprint
