Coal news and updates

The Philippines' Department of Energy said Monday it plans to launch the country's fifth petroleum and coal licensing round on April 25.

 

The department did not announce details of the petroleum and coal blocks to be offered in the round, in a circular published on its website.

 

According to the DOE circular, potential applicants may formally nominate areas of interest, subject to the DOE's review, for inclusion in the licensing round. They have until March 28 to do so.

 

"As of now, the tentative areas are nine areas for oil and gas and 11 areas for coal," Energy Secretary Carlos Jericho Petilla was cited as saying in The Philippine Star Monday.

 

Officials at the DOE were not immediately available for comment Monday.

 

Following the launch of the licensing round, companies interested in the petroleum blocks have to submit application over May 5-November 7, and the winners will be announced on January 23, 2015, the DOE said. Meanwhile, applications for the coal blocks have to be submitted over May 5-September 5, and winners will be announced November 21.

 

The department will conduct information, education and communication campaigns in the host communities and areas near the exploration areas from May to June 2014. The domestic campaigns for the petroleum blocks will be held in Palawan, Mindoro, Iloilo and Sulu, while the coal ones will be in Isabela, Albay, Cebu, Davao and Zamboanga.

 

The DOE also plans to conduct international roadshows for the petroleum blocks in Texas, US, (May 12-16), Singapore (June 10-14) and Turkey (September 14-17) to encourage oil exploration players to join the contracting round, the statement said.

 

The Philippines last held an upstream licensing round in June 2011. Fifteen oil and gas blocks with a total area of more than 10 million hectares were offered in the round, according to the DOE. About 38 coal blocks were also offered in the round.

 

Australia's Otto Energy said last September that it was awarded Service Contract 73 (formerly Area 7) under the fourth licensing around. There was no formal announcement on the award of the other oil and gas service contracts for the fourth bidding round.

 

 

Source: http://www.platts.com/