Italy’s Eni and Thailand’s PTTEP awarded exploration concession for Offshore Block 3 and will invest up to AED1.51 billion ($412 million) during the exploration phase
In the event of a commercial discovery, the consortium will have the right to a production concession for a term of up to 35 years
ADNOC continues to leverage and strengthen its strategic partnerships to accelerate the exploration and development of Abu Dhabi’s hydrocarbon resources.
Abu Dhabi, UAE – December 21, 2020: The Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) announced, today, the signing of an exploration concession agreement, awarding the exploration rights for Abu Dhabi’s Offshore Block 3 to a consortium led by Eni Abu Dhabi B.V., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Italy’s multinational energy company, Eni, and PTTEP MENA Ltd., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Thailand’s PTT Exploration and Production Public Company Limited (PTTEP).
The award has been approved by Abu Dhabi’s Supreme Petroleum Council (SPC). It follows ADNOC’s award earlier this month of an onshore block to Occidental, highlighting how ADNOC continues to leverage and strengthen its strategic partnerships to accelerate the exploration and development of Abu Dhabi’s hydrocarbon resources.
The exploration concession agreement was signed by His Excellency Dr. Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, UAE Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology and ADNOC Group CEO; Claudio Descalzi, CEO of Eni; and Phongsthorn Thavisin, CEO of PTTEP.
H.E. Dr. Al Jaber said: “This concession award reinforces ADNOC and Eni’s growing partnership across our value chain and deepens our relationship with Thailand’s PTTEP, one of the key markets for our crude oil and products. This again validates our targeted approach to value-add partnerships that contribute the right combination of capital, technology, capabilities and market access to accelerate the development of Abu Dhabi’s hydrocarbon resources.
“Despite volatile market conditions, we are making very good progress in delivering Abu Dhabi’s second competitive block bid round, underscoring our world-class resource potential and the UAE’s stable and reliable investment environment. We continue to welcome partners that share our vision to sustainably unlock value from our hydrocarbon resources for our mutual benefit, as we deliver on our 2030 strategy and enable long-term returns to the UAE.”
Under the terms of this agreement, Eni will operate the exploration phase of the concession, and PTTEP and Eni will collectively hold a 100% stake in the exploration phase, investing up to AED1.51 billion ($412 million) towards exploration and appraisal drilling, including a participation fee, to explore for and appraise oil and gas opportunities in Offshore Block 3.
This award underscores the attractiveness of Abu Dhabi’s huge untapped resource potential and ADNOC’s ability to continue to secure foreign direct investment (FDI) to the United Arab Emirates (UAE), despite the tough market environment. Offshore Block 3 offers the potential to create significant in-country value for the UAE over the lifetime of the concession.