French oil giant Total has expressed interest in exploring some of the new blocks, offshore Qatar and is hoping to gain permission for these in the coming months, Qatar’s Gulf Times was told last week.
“We are very much interested in further exploration in Qatar. There have been some blocks attributed by the Qatari authorities…and some are coming. We are looking (every time) very closely at these blocks and hope we can be successful in winning exploration rights there,” Total E&P Qatar managing director Philippe Guys told the newspaper.
The comments follow the massive US$8.6 billion joint venture agreement won by ExxonMobil at the Barzan offshore natural gas project in Qatar’s North Field which had been originally slated to begin in 2009.
A moratorium has been in place on further exploration in the North Field which is said to be in place till 2014, however with Qatar’s economy expected to grow exponentially over the coming years and with it winning the bid to host the Fifa football World Cup in 2022, this is being given a rethink by the Gulf state.
Since 2008 some blocks have been proposed to international oil contractors, Guys said. These relate to exploration below the Khuff Zone and are totally independent of the North Field Reservoir.
Total has been operating in Qatar since 1936, first working on the Dukhan Onshore Oilfield.
“We are very hopeful of getting our Al Khaleej Oilfield licence renewed after the expiry of the current term in 2014,” Guys was quoted as saying.
Total, which is the operator of the Al Khalij Oilfield, offshore Qatar, produces an average 30,000 barrels per day (bpd).
“Given our track record and solid relationship with QP (Qatar Petroleum) and Qatar, we are optimistic of getting our licence renewed at the Al Khaleej Oilfield. We are in discussion with QP on this.”
“Maintaining the plateau for a long time is a challenge as well as the top priority for us. Given the peculiar nature of the Al Khaleej Oilfield, production boost is not an immediate priority. We are using our new technology to optimise production within the reasonable plateau. We have proved we are an efficient, safe and reliable operator.”
Total which has stakes in Qatargas 1 and Qatargas 2, Laffan Refinery and Qatofin, is also involved in mega projects such as Dolphin Energy (24.5% stake) and Qapco (20%).
Total is also involved in Ras Laffan Olefins Company (RLOC) through a Qatofin stake of 46.1%.
The newspaper quoted Guys as describing Qatar to be “very important” to Total.
“We have a very good relationship with Qatar. QP is an excellent partner. We have jointly developed many mutually beneficial projects here and expect to do it abroad as well,” he said.
