Suriname’s second shallow offshore bid round is poised to garner significant attention from the global petroleum industry. The bid round offers lucrative opportunities in an area sandwiched between two major petroleum provinces, according to Geo Expro – a geoscientist peer magazine focused on the energy sector from a subsurface perspective.
Geo Expro said the bid round encompasses 11 blocks covering a 34,520 square kilometers (km2) in water depths of 150 meters and less, including previously unlicensed areas.
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“These blocks lie strategically on the offshore continental shelf, north of the Tambaredjo field and south and southeast of recent light oil discoveries in the deeper water Guyana-Suriname Basin,” Geo Expro’s Jonathan Leather said in a Feb. 27 piece. “Given the strong interest and successful awards in previous bid rounds to companies like TotalEnergies, Chevron, Shell, and QatarEnergy, industry experts anticipate significant interest and competition in this second shallow-water bid round as well.”
Geo Expro said that the exploration potential in Suriname’s shallow offshore area is underscored by the extension of the Campanian-Santonian distal shelf and intra-slope turbidite plays from offshore Guyana into Suriname. Substantial discoveries have been made by companies like APA and TotalEnergies in Block 58, with the recent success of the Roystonea-1 exploration well in Block 52, drilled by Petronas and ExxonMobil in late 2023, further extending the play eastward.
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The bid round data room offers a comprehensive package, including data from 12 wells, 15,000 km of existing 2D seismic data, and 4,371 km2 of 3D seismic. Additionally, newly acquired multiclient 3D seismic covering western parts of the open acreage is available for lease, managed by a consortium comprising BGP, CGG, and TGS.
The blocks are offered on an initial 3-year Exploration Phase basis, with competitive “minimum work program” terms and additional biddable components.
This bid round marks the third in Suriname since 2020, following the Shallow Offshore Bid Round in 2020/21 and the Demerara Bid Round in 2022-23.
