ConocoPhillips wants preference in next round of gas block bidding
Dhaka, July 23 (UNB) – US oil major ConocoPhillips wants a preference in the next round of international gas block bidding.
Conoco vice-president William Lafferrandre and managing director Thomas J Earley, the two top officials of the international oil company, conveyed this message during a meeting with Finance Minister AMA Muhith on Monday.
After the meeting at the Finance Ministry, the Conoco officials declined to make any comment on their topic of discussion with the Finance Minister.
However, Muhith told reporters that the two officials have conveyed to him about their “claim of preference” in the next bidding round.
“They have registered their claim that they should get preference in the next bidding. Today they just confirmed it again,” he said.
Conoco placed its demand at a time when the government is planning to invite an international bidding after obtaining some gas blocks from Myanmar in the Bay of Bengal in Bangladesh maritime boundary.
The US company had obtained a total of eight blocks in the offshore gas block bidding in 2008. But the government awarded them only two blocks --Block 10 and 11 -- and cancelled the bidding for other six blocks because of dispute with India and Myanmar.
In June last year, the state-owned Petrobangla signed production sharing contract (PSC) with the ConocoPhillips for the two blocks. But it tagged a condition that Conoco cannot work in 30 percent area of Block 10 and 15 percent area of Block 11 unless disputes with India and Myanmar are resolved.
Bangladesh won international arbitration with Myanmar and obtained some of the disputed blocks. But arbitration with India still remains pending.
Muhith said that the ConocoPhillips now wants to work in those areas which they were not allowed to work earlier. “After resolving dispute with Myanmar, we obtained those areas and Conoco want those areas to work.”
The Finance Minister said the ConocoPhillips officials have informed him that their initial seismic survey in the two blocks -- Blocks 10 and 11 in the Bay of Bengal -- has been completed and they would receive the survey report in September and then they will make an interpretation of it.
Conoco vice-president William Lafferrandre and managing director Thomas J Earley, the two top officials of the international oil company, conveyed this message during a meeting with Finance Minister AMA Muhith on Monday.
After the meeting at the Finance Ministry, the Conoco officials declined to make any comment on their topic of discussion with the Finance Minister.
However, Muhith told reporters that the two officials have conveyed to him about their “claim of preference” in the next bidding round.
“They have registered their claim that they should get preference in the next bidding. Today they just confirmed it again,” he said.
Conoco placed its demand at a time when the government is planning to invite an international bidding after obtaining some gas blocks from Myanmar in the Bay of Bengal in Bangladesh maritime boundary.
The US company had obtained a total of eight blocks in the offshore gas block bidding in 2008. But the government awarded them only two blocks --Block 10 and 11 -- and cancelled the bidding for other six blocks because of dispute with India and Myanmar.
In June last year, the state-owned Petrobangla signed production sharing contract (PSC) with the ConocoPhillips for the two blocks. But it tagged a condition that Conoco cannot work in 30 percent area of Block 10 and 15 percent area of Block 11 unless disputes with India and Myanmar are resolved.
Bangladesh won international arbitration with Myanmar and obtained some of the disputed blocks. But arbitration with India still remains pending.
Muhith said that the ConocoPhillips now wants to work in those areas which they were not allowed to work earlier. “After resolving dispute with Myanmar, we obtained those areas and Conoco want those areas to work.”
The Finance Minister said the ConocoPhillips officials have informed him that their initial seismic survey in the two blocks -- Blocks 10 and 11 in the Bay of Bengal -- has been completed and they would receive the survey report in September and then they will make an interpretation of it.
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