Page 12 - LatAmOil Week 46 2022

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Under the current legal regime, Staatsolie may 2D and 3D seismic data, extra exploration drill-
retain a carried interest of up to 20% in any pro- ing commitments and signature bonuses, along
ject all the way through the exploration period, with de-risking initiatives such as controlled
which will be carried out in up to three phases sourced electromagnetism high-resolution
over a period of up to seven years. Additionally, gravity (gradiometry), seabed geochemical sur-
in the event of a commercial find, the NOC veys and remote sensing, processing or evalu-
retains the right to participate in the project as ation technologies will also “add points to the
an equity partner. evaluation weighting,” it said.
To date, none of the six blocks included in To date, only four exploration wells have
DBR has been thoroughly explored. SHI said been drilled within the acreage included in the
in its statement that it expected potential inves- current licensing round. No commercial discov-
tors to narrow this gap by including pledges to eries have been made there, but SHI noted in its
acquire and process a minimum amount of 3D statement that all of those drilling programmes
seismic data and to drill at least two exploration were carried out prior to “recent studies carried
wells in their bids. out by Staatsolie, previous operators and various
The Staatsolie subsidiary also encouraged consultancy groups [that] have been instrumen-
potential investors to include “additional work tal in defining the undoubted potential of the
programme elements over and above the mini- DBR acreage.” New data indicate show that the
mum work programmes ... to enhance and sup- pre-Cretaceous horizons of the DBR blocks may
port their bid submission.” Bonus activities such prove to be analogous to the confirmed discov-
as acquisition and/or re-processing of additional eries made farther to the west, it explained. ™

BRAZIL
Ceara’s plan to publish gas distribution

laws draws Brazilian gas associations’ ire

BRAZILIAN natural gas industry associations discussing possible amendments to the basic
have protested against the Ceara State govern- legal regime.
ment’s plan to publish the regulations governing The industry associations have taken excep-
pipeline distribution of gas prior to approval of tion to the latter point, saying that publication
the basic legal regime governing such activities of the regulations prior to the finalisation of the
and have urged an extension of the deadline for basic law itself would be premature.
making further changes. One such group, the Brazilian Independent
The dispute between the two sides stems Oil and Gas Producers Association (ABPIP),
from the state administration’s decision to asked the country’s Public Services Regu-
approve proposals for the adoption of a new lation Agency (ARCE) to intervene, on the
legal regime for gas distribution in January 2022. grounds that the state government’s plans were
Since then, Ceara authorities have approved a misleading.
number of regulations that will help make up Ceara authorities do appear to have taken
the relevant body of law. However, they are still this criticism to heart.

The state government has yet to finalise the foundational gas distribution law (Image: EPE)

P12 www. NEWSBASE .com Week 46 16•November•2022