A British energy company searching for gas off the Moroccan coast has been given another year to explore a large offshore area, as it cuts the cost of developing a nearby gas field and looks for partners to help fund its projects. The Ministry of Energy Transition and Sustainable Development has extended Chariot’s initial exploration period at the Rissana offshore block by one year, moving the deadline to 18 November 2026.
The extension increases the initial exploration period from three and a half years to four and a half years. It does not necessarily mark the end of Chariot’s rights to the block, as Moroccan regulations allow exploration permits to run for up to eight years, provided companies meet their obligations.
Rissana covers about 8,489 sq km of seabed between Kenitra and Tangier. The block surrounds the Lixus offshore area, which contains the Anchois gas field. Chariot has identified several potential oil and gas targets at Rissana, including prospects it considers ready for drilling based on existing 3D seismic data.
The extension comes as Chariot adopts a more cautious approach to developing Anchois, a project seen as part of efforts to increase domestic gas supplies for power stations and industry and reduce dependence on imported energy.
In its half-year results, published on 30 September 2026, Chariot said it had drawn up an initial development plan based on two wells. The company aims to cut upfront spending by using engineering work already completed and permits already secured.
The plan is a shift from a larger, multi-well development. It follows drilling at Anchois-3 in 2024, when deeper targets were found to contain water and the shallower reservoirs held less gas than expected. The results weakened the case for a larger project and prompted a rethink of how to develop the gas discovered by earlier wells.
Anchois lies about 40km off the coast, in water around 380m deep. Earlier drilling, particularly the Anchois-2 appraisal well in 2022, had confirmed gas-bearing reservoirs. The original development concept involved subsea wells connected to an onshore processing facility near the Maghreb-Europe Gas Pipeline.
Chariot is also seeking partners to share the cost of developing its offshore licences. Energean became the operator of the Lixus and Rissana licences after a farm-in agreement in December 2023.
Energean holds a 45% stake in Lixus, while Chariot owns 30% and the state-owned National Office of Hydrocarbons and Mines (ONHYM) holds 25%. At Rissana, Energean holds 37.5%
