Suriname’s state oil company Staatsolie Maatschappij Suriname N.V., TotalEnergies Suriname and QatarEnergy signed production sharing contracts for offshore blocks 6 and 8 on Monday May 8, 2023.
In 2021, a Shallow Offshore Bid Round was completed offshore the South American country. Production Sharing Contracts (PSCs) have already been signed with Chevron from this Bid Round for blocks 5 and 7, with Shell participating in block 5. These blocks are already being explored.
Staatsolie said by entering the PSCs, TotalEnergies and QatarEnergy have been granted exploration, development, and production rights. Staatsolie also has a forty percent participation through its subsidiary Paradise Oil Company (POC). This participation was confirmed by the signing of the Joint Operating Agreement (JOA) in which the conditions are specified. The costs in the exploration phase will be carried by TotalEnergies and QatarEnergy. As included in the PSC, the exploration period will last six years, with a first exploration well to be drilled in the third or fourth year.
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Meanwhile, Staatsolie said it has ensured new 3D seismic data has been collected in these blocks, so that proceeding to the interpretation of the subsurface can progress smoothly. By participating in the PSC with forty percent from the start, Staatsolie will actively participate in the collection and analysis of data.
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The PSC, which is valid for thirty years, was signed by Staatsolie’s Managing Director Annand Jagesar, the representative of TotalEnergies, Philippe Blanchard, the representative of QatarEnergy, Ali Al Mana. The JOA was signed by the representatives of TotalEnergies and QatarEnergy, and the director of POC, Rekha Bissumbhar.
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Blocks 6 and 8 are in the west of the Shallow Offshore (SHO) area, south of the recent deep water discoveries in Block 58 and north of the onshore producing fields.
