Curtis Williams
OGJ Correspondent
PORT OF SPAIN, May 12 -- The Trinidad and Tobago government has selected contractors or joint ventures for nine offshore blocks in its latest bid round for production-sharing contracts. The Ministry of Energy & Energy Industries will negotiate with Calgary-based Petro-Canada for Block 1(a) and Block 1(b); Canadian Superior Energy Inc., Calgary, for Block 5(c), and the joint venture of Kerr-McGee Oil & Gas Corp.-Primera Oil & Gas Ltd. for Block 3(b).
Discussions also will be held with EOG Resources Inc.-Primera for Block 4(a); Melbourne-based BHP Billiton Ltd.-Total SA for Blocks 23(a) and 23(b); and BHP Billiton-Talisman Energy Inc., Calgary, for Block 24.
For Block 22, discussions will be held with both Norway's Norsk Hydro AS and Petro-Canada before ratifying a preferred bidder.
Block 2(ab), not awarded, will be rebid in the next round.
Both Kerr-McGee and Petro-Canada will be new players on the Trinidad and Tobago energy scene.
British Gas rebuffed
British Gas PLC, which bid for two blocks, failed to win either, a blow to its plans for growing its business in the twin island republic. Trinidad and Tobago is a key operating country for BG and core to its Atlantic LNG Co. of Trinidad & Tobago Ltd. strategy. BG is the second largest investor in Atlantic LNG's four trains and sells more than 700 MMcfd of natural gas to Atlantic LNG and National Gas Co. Ltd. under existing contracts in the Caribbean island.
BG produces gas from two fields: Dolphin field with estimated reserves of 2.6 tcf and NCMA fields with original gross reserves estimated at 2.5 tcf.