After a two-year recess, the government is set to formulate a fresh production sharing contract (PSC) model for awarding offshore hydrocarbon blocks in the Bay of Bengal.
The verdict on the maritime boundary dispute with India has prompted the Bangladesh government to take the initiative, State Minister for Energy Nasrul Hamid told the Dhaka Tribune yesterday.
“We will soon float the fifth round of tender for shallow and deep sea blocks,” he informed.
The previous four rounds were floated in 2012, 2008, 1993 and 1974.
At a press conference yesterday, Md Khurshed Alam, secretary of the Foreign Ministry’s Maritime Affairs Unit, said India had claimed 10 blocks that fell inside the disputed territory but the verdict awarded all those blocks to Bangladesh.
He also said Bangladesh had lost small portions from some of the blocks.
Petrobangla Chairman Hossain Monsur said: “We are planning to fix higher purchase price for gas to attract international oil and gas companies.”
He also said they would hold talks with the Foreign Ministry to finalise a fresh maritime boundary map of hydrocarbon blocks.
He hinted that the fifth round of tender might be held towards the end of this year.
In 2012, Bangladesh won a few other offshore blocks from Myanmar following a verdict by another international court. Bangladesh now has 23 hydrocarbon blocks in the bay.
In 2011, a PSC was signed between ConocoPhillips and Petrobangla for exploring two offshore blocks. That was the country’s first ever deep-water hydrocarbon hunt.
Source: Dhaka Tribune
