--> Revisiting the Petroleum Potentials of Lebanon: What Did We Learn From Recent Studies and the New Major Discoveries in the Levant Region?

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Revisiting the Petroleum Potentials of Lebanon: What Did We Learn From Recent Studies and the New Major Discoveries in the Levant Region?

Abstract

In the last decade, and especially in the last seven years, major breakthroughs concerning the Lebanese hydrocarbon potentials have been made. These developments concern administrative realizations as well as scientific achievements. They have succeeded in attracting major international oil companies to seriously assess the Lebanese offshore for exploration. Even more, such developments led to the establishment of the Lebanese Petroleum Administration (www.lpa.gov.lb). The Lebanese exclusive economic zone (about 21,500 sq. km – WGS 84) has been entirely covered by 2D and 3D seismic reflection surveys – even before any bid rounds –, providing a huge wealth of data pertinent to the exploration of the northern Levant Basin. In addition, the Lebanese onshore witnessed 2D seismic reflection surveys for the first time ever, featuring strong arguments for the possibilities of exploration prizes (Nader et al., 2016). Several IFPEN academic projects (MSc, PhD, Post-Doc) succeeded in delivering outstanding, modern knowledge on the geodynamics, stratigraphy, structural geology and geochemistry (petroleum systems). IFPEN approach for integrated scientific research with innovative numerical tools have also benefited from the Lebanese offshore/onshore case study (e.g. Hawie et al., 2015; Ghalayini et al., 2015; Bou Daher et al., 2016; Inati et al., in press).