Tullow Oil PLC and its Orinduick license partners were  granted renewal of the offshore Guyana petroleum prospecting license initially  signed in January 2016 with the Government of Guyana. Selection of drilling  targets is expected this year. 
The first renewal period, granting control of the license until  Jan. 13, 2023, has been approved and signed by the Department of Energy of the  Government of Guyana (DOE), partner Eco (Atlantic) Oil & Gas Ltd. said in a  Mar. 15 release. 
The DOE also has provided final approval for the transfer of  the Total E&P Guyana BV 25% working interest in the Orinduik Petroleum  Agreement to a new company jointly owned by Total E&P Guyana BV (60%) and  Qatar Petroleum (40%), namely TOQAP Guyana BV (TOQAP). The JV partners now  comprise Tullow Guyana BV (operator, 60%), TOQAP (25%), and Eco Atlantic (15%).  
“As a group, the JV Partners continue with advanced  reprocessing of the geophysical data, in combination with the additional  information obtained from regional drilling results, and further evaluation of  the Joe and Jethro discoveries (OGJ  Online, Aug. 12, 2019; Sept.  16, 2019). The partnership is focused on its multiple light sweet oil  prospects on the Orinduik block, and we are high-grading candidates for the  next drilling program, with the operator expected to select targets later this  year,” said Colin Kinley, chief operating officer, Eco Atlantic.