French Total Group on Tuesday announced that it had signed an agreement with CNOOC Middle East (Qatar) Limited, a wholly-owned subsidiary of CNOOC International Limited, to acquire a 25% interest in Qatar’s Block BC (pre-Khuff) exploration license. CNOOC Middle East (Qatar) Limited will continue to be the operator with a 75% interest.
Located 130 kilometers east of the Qatari coast, the offshore block covers an area of 5,649 square kilometers, with water depths ranging from 15 to 35 meters.
The Block BC Exploration and Production Sharing Agreement (EPSA), entered into with the Government of the State of Qatar, stipulates that 2D and 3D seismic surveys will be conducted and that at least three exploration wells will be drilled by 2014.