The Petroleum Industry Act 2021 (PIA) restructured Nigeria's oil and gas sector. It created two regulators: the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) for exploration and production, and the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) for gas processing, pipelines, refining, storage, distribution and retail. Almost every activity in the sector, from drilling a well to opening a filling station, needs a licence, permit or approval from one of them.
Our oil and gas lawyers work out which approvals your project or business needs, prepare the applications and deal with the regulators until they are granted. We also advise on the acquisitions, contracts and compliance obligations that come with them.
Who we act for
- Indigenous and international operators holding or acquiring upstream interests
- Marginal field and bid round participants
- Oil and gas service companies working for operators
- Gas, LPG and CNG businesses, including processing plants, distribution and retail
- Downstream businesses: depots, filling stations, importers and distributors of petroleum products
- Investors and lenders financing oil and gas assets
Upstream licences and approvals (NUPRC)
- Petroleum exploration licences, petroleum prospecting licences and petroleum mining leases
- Conversion of legacy licences and leases under the PIA
- Participation in bid rounds and marginal field awards
- Ministerial consent to assignments and changes of control, on the NUPRC's recommendation
- Field development plans, operating permits and decommissioning obligations
- Permits for oil and gas service companies
- Host community development trusts and their governance
Midstream and downstream licences and permits (NMDPRA)
- Licences for gas processing plants, gas pipelines, gas distribution and refineries
- Approvals for storage depots and terminals
- Filling station and retail outlet approvals, from site suitability to the licence to operate
- LPG plant and CNG station approvals
- Permits to import, distribute and sell petroleum products
- Licence renewals, upgrades and transfers
Most midstream and downstream facilities follow a staged process: site approval, approval to construct, and a licence to operate once the facility is built and inspected. We manage each stage so construction and investment decisions are not made before the approvals are in place.
Nigerian content
Operators and contractors must comply with the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Development Act 2010. See Nigerian content compliance for registration, Nigerian content plans and NCDMB approvals.
Compliance and enforcement
- Regulatory returns, royalties, fees and other obligations under the PIA and its regulations
- Environmental obligations, including environmental management plans and remediation
- Responding to NUPRC and NMDPRA inspections, queries, sanctions and licence revocation proceedings
Oil and gas lawyers in Lagos and Abuja
The NUPRC and NMDPRA have their head offices in Abuja, where our Wuse 2 office attends to applications and meetings with the regulators. Our Lagos office in Lekki works with the operators, service companies, traders and investors based in Lagos.
