THE HIGH COMMISSION Of India In Tanzania Has Met And Held Talks With The Petroleum Upstream Regulatory Authority (Pura) To Gather More Information About The Auctioning Of Petroleum Exploration Blocks In Mainland Tanzania To Be Conducted This Year.
The Talks Took Place On May
14, 2024, And Were Attended By The Second Secretary To The High Commissioner (Commerce),
Mr Narender Kumar, And The Acting Director General Of Pura, Mr Danstan Asanga.
Speaking During The
Meeting, Mr Kumar Explained That Upon Learning Of The Government’s Plan To
Auction Oil And Gas Blocks Through The Budget Speech Of The Ministry Of Energy For
The Year 2024/25, The Indian Embassy Deemed It Necessary To Meet With The
Relevant Authorities To Thoroughly Understand The Matter And Provide
Comprehensive Information To Companies And Stakeholders In India.
“We Hope That Companies
From India Will Be Interested In This Information, Which Is Why We Have Decided
To Seek Further Details That Will Enable Them To Make Decisions To Participate
In The Forthcoming Bidding And Ultimately Invest In Oil And Gas Exploration And
Production Activities In Tanzania,” Added Mr Kumar.
Providing Details About
The Fifth Licensing Round, Mr Asanga Explained That Pura, On Behalf Of The
Government, Has Continued With Preparations For The Event And That Several
Activities Have Been Completed, Including The Preparation Of The Model
Production Sharing Agreement, Which Was Submitted To The Ministry Of Energy For
Further Action.
Other Activities Include
The Demarcation Of The Blocks To Be Auctioned After Obtaining Approval From The
Ministry Of Energy And The Preparation Of Petroleum Data Packages.
Additionally, Mr Asanga Noted
That A Review Of The Petroleum Act Of 2015 Is Underway To Identify Sections
Requiring Amendments And That Pura Is Participating In The Review.
Regarding The Timing Of
The Bidding Process, Mr Asanga Stated That The Auctioning Of Blocks Will Take
Place Shortly After The Completion Of Preliminary Preparations, Including The
Review Of The Petroleum Act Of 2015, And That The Government Plans To Launch
The Fifth Licensing Round This Year.
In Addition To Discussing
The Fifth Licensing Round, The High Commission Of India In Tanzania And Pura Also
Explored The Possibility Of Establishing Cooperation Between Oil And Gas
Exploration And Production Regulatory Authorities In Tanzania And India.
They Also Discussed The
Possibility Of Collaborating On Capacity-Building Programmes For Personnel In
The Field Of Oil And Natural Gas Through Funding From The Government Of India.