Obeid & Partners

Obeid & Partners

Lebanon Oil & Gas Pre-qualification Round Now Open

02-15-2013

Further to the Lebanese Council of Ministers’ recent approval of a draft decree (with one amendment) detailing the pre-qualification requirements ahead of the bidding phase, the Ministry of Energy & Water has held a press conference publically announcing that the pre-qualification round is open as of 15 February 2013. While the information has yet to be published in the Lebanese Official Gazette and in local and international newspapers as required, the pre-qualification criteria have now been released along with a prospective timeline as follows: 

  • 28 March 2013: Closure of pre-qualification round 
  • 18 April 2013: Announcement of successful pre-qualification applicants 
  • 2 May 2013: Licensing Round opens 
  • November 2013: Licensing Round ends
  • February 2014: Anticipated signature of Exploration and Production Agreements between the Lebanese Government and license holders

 The next steps are for the Lebanese government to announce which offshore areas will be open for international bidding (as well as the delineation of the blocks), the terms of the bidding process and the E&P model agreement, in addition to enacting the necessary decrees to supplement the present legal framework. Pre-qualification forms are available to download on the Lebanon Exploration website. The closing date for submission of applications has been set for 16:00 Beirut time on 28 March 2013. For more information on the Lebanese Oil & Gas sector please contact us at [email protected] To see previous news posts related to the Oil & Gas sector, visit our News & Events page.

Recent Work Highlights

Our lawyers at Obeid & Partners have extensive experience in complex cross-border matters. Since the establishment of the firm in 1987, we have represented various clients ranging from government and government entities to nationally and internationally renowned investors, corporations and individuals. Our clients are distinguished in their respective fields of expertise.

Our team holds a track record in handling complex local and international cases, of which relevant work highlights include:

Hospitality

Successfully representing multiple owners of shares in an unprecedented class action before the Lebanese courts, involving a landmark resort in Beirut. The matter involved complex proceedings in addition to requiring significant logistical and coordination skills for the various plaintiffs in the context of the class action. This prompted the firm to develop an in-house protocol […]

Educational Services

Successfully representing a dually licensed private university in relation to a criminal lawsuit as well as an administrative claim.

Aviation

Successfully representing a world leading provider of solutions for the travel industry, in relation to a series of complex disputes pending before the Lebanese courts, involving seizure matters, URL geo-blocking, payment claims, action on the merits, and other proceedings. 

States

Successfully representing foreign states before the Lebanese courts in a series of complex court actions involving both private and public international law issues, relating to advance payment claims, real estate and lease agreements. 

Banking and Finance

Successfully representing a major oil trader, in what is still known as the largest litigation in Lebanon involving a claim in excess of one billion dollars against one of the largest local banks.  This was a first-of-kind matter in the banking sector which challenged the amnesty in the current financial crisis in Lebanon and the […]

Oil and Gas

Successfully representing  a group in relation to a complex cross-border action involving worldwide freezing injunctions and document preservation orders with claim amounts exceeding USD 300 million. Our firm secured a first-of-a-kind decision from the Lebanese courts and advised on complex cross-border matters involving mareva injunctions.