See full statement from Ministry of Natural Resources:
The Government of Guyana through the Ministry of Natural Resources is pleased to announce that fourteen (14) oil blocks have been identified and will be auctioned for the nation’s first-ever competitive offshore oil and gas licensing round. The ministry is pleased to announce too that a wave of enhanced fiscal terms will guide all future offshore investments should projects reach to production stage.
As part of this new model agreement, the royalty has been increased from the meagre 2% granted to the Stabroek Block under the former APNU+AFC regime to an impressive 10%. The current 75% cost recovery ceiling has been lowered to 65%. Profit sharing after cost recovery remains the currently applied 50/50 system between the contractor and the Government of Guyana. These new terms have doubled Guyana’s share from 14.5% to 27.5%, plus the newly introduced 10% corporate tax.
Commenting on the improved fiscal terms, Minister of Natural Resources Hon. Vickram Bharrat M.P., highlighted that these changes come on the heels of reviewing the licensing models of global oil producers, complemented by the advice of industry experts.
“These incentives are expected to attract major international oil companies with the necessary finance and expertise to expedite the prospecting and development of oil discoveries within the shortest possible timeframe,” Minister Bharrat said. “This is in keeping with the government’s vision to increase the extraction of petroleum resources to satisfy global demands, while at the same time utilizing earnings to strengthen Guyana’s non-oil sectors for a robust and stable economy. The government remains steadfast in realizing the One Guyana vision where all Guyanese will benefit from our extractive resources.”
Of the fourteen (14) blocks – ranging from acreages of 1,000 square kilometres to 3,000 square kilometres – eleven (11) are located in shallow water, while the remaining three can be found in ultra-deep-water. Oil companies participating in the upcoming auction will be required to pay a minimum signing bonus of US$10 million for shallow blocks while the deep-water blocks carry a signing bonus of US$20 million.
Qualified and local companies will be given an opportunity to bid for blocks, but must they must possess a proven track record of technical, financial, health and safety, and environmental capabilities. Bidders will be assessed based on their guaranteed work programmes which will be weighed with the offered signing bonus. Local content commitments will also be fully examined.
There will be no restrictions on how many bids a company may submit, however, each successful bidder will be limited to an award of three blocks.
As part of the strengthened enforcement of the work programme, successful bidders will have to guarantee that they will make good on commitments made under their work agenda. Failure to meet this will result in the government initiating a penalty of the unspent amount of the work programme.
The aforementioned terms and conditions have been finalized by the Cabinet which will usher in a new era of oil and gas development. This will be characterised by a competitive and favourable investment mechanism and improved socioeconomic benefits for Guyana, a nascent oil and gas-producing nation.
Importantly, the government will be moving to make amendments to the Petroleum (Exploration and Production) Act 1986 to reflect where necessary, the fiscal changes identified for this national bid round and all future operations. The licensing round process is expected last for five months and should be concluded by the end of the first quarter of 2023.
