MONROVIA, LIBERIA- Mines and Energy Minister Matenokay Tingban has clarified that no crude oil has been discovered in Liberia.

The clarification comes amid mounting concerns about the discovery of crude oil in Grand Bassa County.

Appearing before members of the House on Tuesday, Minister Tingbah said laboratory analysis concluded that the substance found in Grand Bassa is not a natural crude oil.

Minister Tingban said findings indicate that the substance is most likely waste oil or a mixture of contaminated lubricants and heavy fuel oil.

He said both the Liberia Petroleum Regulatory Authority and the Environmental Protection Agency concluded, based on collective scientific evidence, that the oily substance is not a naturally occurring crude oil deposit.

 Meanwhile, the Mines and Energy Minister has since acknowledged that the National Oil Company of Liberia maintains a different technical interpretation of the same laboratory data.

Minister Tingbah said NOCAL argues the substance is not a refined petroleum product and that its water, salt, sulfur content, and API gravity suggest characteristics consistent with untreated heavy crude oil.

He said all institutions agree that further scientific investigation is necessary and that additional geological and geophysical studies will be conducted within the Robert Bashaw Basin offshore area.

He said NOCAL will carry out the agreed additional testing and submit its findings to the Ministry of Mines and Energy for onward submission to the Office of the President.

The Minister stressed that an oil discovery or oil exploitation is never a secret, adding that the sheer scale of such an enterprise makes concealment impossible.