Monrovia– Minister of Mines and Energy,R. Mantenokay Tingban has clarified speculation of discovery of crude oil in Liberia, but the National Oil Company of Liberia NOCAL thinks of it differently and has called for additional scientific investigations.
On Tuesday, June 16, 2026, the Minister Tingban appeared before the House of Representatives, honoring an invite from that august body to provide technical answers to concerns across the Country about the discovery of Crude Oil in the port city of Buchanan, Grand Bassa County.
During the Legislative hearing, the Mines and Energy Minister said, “comprehensive laboratory analyses conducted by multiple internationally recognized institutions have concluded that the substance discovered in Buchanan is not naturally occurring crude oil but is most likely waste oil contaminated with pollutants”.
Presenting the findings, Minister Tingban said independent tests carried out by laboratories in Africa, Europe, and the United Kingdom, including Bureau Veritas, SGS London, Petrol Tech Ghana, Jombo Kenyatta University Laboratory, and ARS Laboratory in the Czech Republic. “These tests found that the sample lacked the characteristics of naturally occurring crude oil.”
According to Minister Tingban, laboratory results described the substance as contaminated soil mixed with waste oil and other pollutants, with no evidence of the physical and chemical properties typically associated with natural petroleum deposits.
Based on the collective scientific evidence, the Liberia Petroleum Regulatory Authority (LPRA) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) concluded that the substance is most likely waste oil rather than a naturally occurring crude oil deposit. Their assessment was based on analyses of the sample’s physical properties, chemical composition, hydrocarbon profile and simulated distillation tests.
However, the company at the center of the claim, NOCAL, maintains a different interpretation of the findings. While acknowledging and respecting the laboratory results, the company argues that the sample is not a refined petroleum product and may represent a heavily biodegraded crude oil deposit with contamination affecting some of its characteristics.
NOCAL has called for additional scientific investigations, saying further studies are needed to determine the geological nature of the area and assess any potential petroleum resources.
As part of the government’s next steps, the Minister intimated that authorities have recommended additional studies within the Roberts Basin area, including advanced geochemical testing. The National Oil Company of Liberia (NOCAL), is expected to undertake the agreed tests and submit the findings to the Ministry of Mines and Energy, which will coordinate with LPRA, EPA and NOCAL before forwarding a consolidated report to the Office of President Joseph Nyuma Boakai, Sr..
Minister Tingban emphasized that any future decision regarding the matter would be guided by credible scientific evidence and the recommendations of relevant technical institutions, stressing the government’s commitment to transparency, environmental protection and responsible resource management.
