Statoil , ExxonMobil CNOOC fight for Tanzania’s Block 4/3A

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China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC)  Statoil  and ExxonMobil will have to wait and see who gets the offshore block 4/3A after the three companies submitted bids for the same block in the 4th deep offshore and North Lake Tanganyika licensing round advertised in October 2013.

The other blocks received bids from Ras Al Khaimah Gas L.L.C of UAE for  L.Tanganyika North, Mubadala of UAE for Block  4/2A, and Russia’s Gazprom for Block 4/3B.

Notably BG group and Ophir energy which have already been successful in other blocks did not bid for any blocks.

Another four offshore blocks namely 4/3B, 4/4A, 4/4B and 4/5B received no bids.

Block 4/3A which measures 2620.30 square kilometers and the other offshore blocks already have good coverage of modern regional 2D seismic data which can be viewed at ION GX Technology of Houston, Texas and WesternGeco of UK.

Lake Tanganyika is the world’s longest (650 kilometers) and second-deepest (1,500 meters) is covered by sparse 2D seismic data which were collected in the 1980s during the African Lakes Drilling Project. The data and copy of report is available at TPDC.

“Currently, all bid documents are being evaluated to ascertain if they have complied with the Terms and Conditions which were set by the Government,” read a statement signed by Managing Director, Tanzania Petroleum Development Corporation Yona Killagane.

The bid winners will be announced following the evaluation exercise is complete after which the companies will commence the negotiations for the Production Sharing Agreements (PSAs) with the Government and TPDC.

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