KEY POINTS
- TotalEnergies secured the Block 8 offshore exploration permit.
- The company will operate with Eni and QatarEnergy.
- Lebanon hopes offshore gas can support economic recovery.
TotalEnergies has secured a new offshore exploration permit in Lebanon, expanding its footprint in the eastern Mediterranean as international oil companies renew interest in frontier drilling after years of restraint.
The French energy major said Friday it signed an agreement with the Lebanese government to enter the Block 8 exploration permit, an offshore area bordering a neighboring block where the company has already drilled. TotalEnergies will operate the permit with a 35 percent stake, alongside partners Eni, which also holds 35 percent, and QatarEnergy with 30 percent.
Block 8 lies west of Block 9, where TotalEnergies drilled the Qana well in 2023 in search of hydrocarbons. That well did not deliver commercial discoveries, but the company has made clear it does not see the result as the end of its ambitions in the country.
Focus shifts after Block 9
“Although the drilling of the Qana well on Block 9 did not give positive results, we remain committed to pursue our exploration activities in Lebanon,” Chief Executive Officer Patrick Pouyanné said in a statement. He said the company would now concentrate on Block 8 with its partners and work closely with Lebanese authorities.
The move comes as TotalEnergies and several peers return to oil and gas exploration after a period marked by heavy investment in renewables and low-carbon energy. Speaking during the company’s second-quarter 2025 earnings call, Pouyanné said TotalEnergies had reloaded its exploration portfolio by securing permits in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico, Malaysia, Indonesia and Algeria.
Beyond those regions, the company is developing offshore resources in Suriname, next to Guyana, and is preparing to advance a separate project off Namibia in southwestern Africa. The renewed focus reflects confidence that demand for oil and gas will remain resilient, even as governments pursue energy transition policies.
Lebanon pins hopes offshore
For Lebanon, offshore exploration carries broader economic weight. The country is emerging from one of the deepest financial crises in its history and views potential gas discoveries as a possible source of long-term revenue, according to OilPrice. Officials hope its waters could host a major find similar to Israel’s Leviathan and Tamar fields, Cyprus’s Aphrodite discovery, or Egypt’s Zohr gas field.
Late last year, Lebanon and Cyprus signed a maritime demarcation agreement, clearing the way for closer energy cooperation and cross-border exploration. Both countries sit within the Levant Basin Province, which spans the offshore areas of Israel, Syria, Egypt and Turkey.
A 2010 assessment by the U.S. Geological Survey estimated the basin contains about 1.7 billion barrels of oil and roughly 122 trillion cubic feet of natural gas. Lebanon, which has yet to produce hydrocarbons commercially, is counting on exploration success to support recovery efforts and stabilise its economy.
