BY CHHORNG LONG HENG
Cambodian National Petroleum Authority (CNPA) signed with Japan Oil, Gas and Metals National Corporation (JOGMEC)) on May 4th for oil and gas to study and survey on onshore program near Tonle Sap basin, the largest freshwater lake in the region and in Cambodia.
The MOU agreement was signed by Cambodian deputy prime minister
H.E. Sok An, who is also the chairman of CNPA, and Mr. Akira Suzuki, executive director of JOGMEC to look for oil and gas exploration in Block 17 covers 6500 square km located in the north-eastern of Tonle Sap in Kampong Thom province.
“I strongly believe that the project signed today really will encourage to promote the study, the survey, exploration will help for development of oil and gas industry in Cambodia,” he said after the signing ceremony. “I strongly congratulate JOGMEC who decided to invest in oil and gas exploration in Cambodia.”
Fumiaki Fujita, executive vice president of JOGMEC said that surveying the area in Block 17 located on the northeastern shore of Tonle Sap, will process and take two years to complete. He refused to comment about the amount of the budget for the investment, when the reporters asked.
The company plans to invest after the result from survey and this is just a Basic Agreement for the Study and the Survey Program in Block 17, and it is not yet the exploration stage, he said.
“We have just signed the agreement so our intention is that we could make the survey of land situation as soon as possible,” Fumiaki told reporters.
“The geological and geophysical survey program will take two years to complete the study, said Fujita. JOGMEC has showed an airborne gravity and magnetic survey in Cambodia onshore 1997- 1999, according to a report.
Mr. Ek Tha, Deputy Director of Press Department of the Council of Ministers, said that Tonle Sap Lake covers about 250,000 hectares during the dry season and expands to about
1.25 million hectares during the rainy season. It is known as a rich habitat with more than 200 species of fish, 42 types of reptiles, 225 species of birds and 46 kinds of mammals. Moreover, CNPA and JOGMEC also inked another separate Memorandum of Understand (MOU) on cooperation activities in oil and gas upstream sector, which presided over by Japanese deputy minister Chiaki Takahashi for the ministry of economy, trade and industry.
He added that Japan is Cambodian second biggest donor, which injects into Cambodia an estimated US$ 120 million per year. Total of Japan’s investment values in Cambodia between 1994- 2009 was US$105.18 million, according to the figures provided by the Office of the Council of Ministers. Cambodia exported goods to Japan was about US$ 32 million in 2008 and it was US$ 6.8 million for the first eight months of 2009. Cambodia imported goods from Japan were US$
69.6 million in 2008, it was US$US
8.3 million for the first eight months of 2009. Tokyo provided Cambodia the duty free quota of 1,000 items exports to Japanese market.
H.E.Hang Chuon Naron, Secretary General of Economy and Finance, said recently in the seminar that oil and gas fields at offshore of Cambodia has been exploring in six blocks by private companies. He stressed that block A has been explored by three companies including Chevron with 55 per cent share, Moeco with 30 percent, and GS Caltex with 15 per cent share. Block B belongs to four private companies including PTTEP with 30 percent, and SPC with 30 per cent and Resourceful Petroleum) with 30 percent and Cooper Energy with 10 percent. And block C is exploring by Polytec and block D China Petrotech and Block E exploring by three companies Medco with 60 percent share, and Kuwait Energy with 30 per cent and JHL with 10 per cent and block F explored by CNOOC. The Cambodia will expect to pump oil and gas from offshore in 2012. (SEAW)