Mines & Energy Minister Says Grand Bassa Oil Find Is Contaminated Waste Oil, NOCAL Wants Further Testing

Published: June 17, 2026

CAPITOL HILL, Monrovia — Liberia’s brush with an onshore oil discovery remains unresolved after Mines and Energy Minister R. Matenokay Tingban told lawmakers Tuesday that international laboratories have identified a substance found in Grand Bassa County as contaminated waste oil, even as the state oil company insists it could still be crude.

Appearing before the Joint Committee on Hydrocarbon and Mines and Energy, Tingban said multiple internationally recognized laboratories concluded that the oily substance discovered in Beon/Neevelen Town is not naturally occurring crude but a mixture of contaminated lubricants and heavy fuels. The National Oil Company of Liberia (NOCAL) has taken the opposite view, arguing the find may be a highly biodegraded heavy crude that warrants further study.

Tingban said the government remains committed to resolving the matter through “a transparent, scientific and evidence-based process.”

“The priority has been to establish the true nature of the substance through independent technical investigations and internationally recognized laboratory analyses,” the minister said.

The issue emerged in late November 2025 after residents of Beon/Neevelen Town reported a black, oily substance seeping from the ground and nearby water sources. The discovery sparked excitement across Liberia and revived hopes that the country had uncovered a commercially viable onshore petroleum deposit.

In response, the Liberia Petroleum Regulatory Authority (LPRA), NOCAL and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) conducted joint field assessments and collected samples for testing. Tingban said the samples were sent to several laboratories across Africa and Europe to ensure objectivity, including Bureau Veritas, SGS London, Petro Tech Ghana, Jomo Kenyatta University Laboratory and ALS Laboratory in the Czech Republic.

“Multiple laboratories conducted detailed physical, chemical and hydrocarbon analyses using internationally accepted testing methods,” Tingban said.

The laboratories reached similar conclusions, he said.

“The substance does not exhibit the characteristics of naturally occurring crude oil,” he said. “The sample appears to be a waste oil or a mixture of contaminated lubricants and heavy fuels.”

The findings pointed to significant contamination and the absence of properties associated with natural crude deposits, the minister said. On that basis, both the LPRA and EPA concluded the substance is most likely waste oil. Tingban said the determination rested on the sample’s physical properties, chemical composition, hydrocarbon profiling and simulated distillation testing.

NOCAL, while acknowledging the laboratory results, has maintained a contrary technical position. The state-owned company argues the substance is not a refined petroleum product and that its water, salt and sulfur content, viscosity and API gravity point to characteristics consistent with untreated heavy crude. NOCAL believes the sample may be a highly biodegraded crude of marine origin, and that contamination could account for some of the irregular laboratory results.

The competing interpretations underscore the uncertainty that has surrounded the Grand Bassa discovery for months.

Tingban said the institutions agree on one point: more investigation is needed.

“Additional studies would provide greater certainty regarding the geological characteristics of the area and any potential petroleum resources,” he said.

The Ministry of Mines and Energy has recommended further geological and geophysical studies within the Roberts-Bassa Onshore Basin, along with advanced laboratory testing and higher-level geochemical analyses to pin down the substance’s origin and composition. Under the agreed framework, NOCAL will conduct additional testing and submit its findings to the ministry, which will coordinate with the LPRA and EPA before forwarding a comprehensive report to the Office of the President.

The discovery drew intense public interest, particularly in Grand Bassa, where residents initially celebrated what many believed could be Liberia’s first major onshore oil find. The reports also raised environmental concerns, prompting authorities to warn residents against direct contact with the substance pending the outcome of the investigations.

Closing his remarks, Tingban said speculation would not drive the government’s next steps.

“The Government remains committed to a coordinated and science-driven approach,” he said. “Any future decisions regarding the Beon/Neevelen Town substance will be guided by credible technical evidence and the collective advice of the relevant institutions.”

“Our objective is to safeguard the national interest while ensuring transparency, environmental protection and the responsible management of Liberia’s natural resources,” he added.

For now, Liberia’s latest bout of oil optimism stays unresolved, caught between laboratory findings that point to contaminated waste and a competing reading that keeps alive the prospect of an indigenous petroleum discovery.