Ya pagaron la mordida y vuelven

BP GETTING BACK TO BUSINESS IN LIBYA

BP is making initial preparations for the start of deep-water drilling off Libya as the company prepares to revive its search for gas that could potentially feed an LNG project.

The UK supermajor is working under a $2 billion exploration contract dating from before last year's overthrow of the Gaddafi regime. BP is short-listing contractors for a prequalification round "in the next few months" for the provision of offshore geotechnical and metocean investigation surveys.

This follows an invitation in the summer for expressions of interest by mid-August. BP earlier this year lifted a force majeure declared in February 2011 as the revolt against then leader Muammar Gaddafi gathered steam.

Sources said the company is set to resume onshore and offshore exploration drilling before the end of 2013 in the hope of finding reserves large enough to justify liquefaction facilities for export. Exploration drilling of at least five offshore wells will start after an onshore campaign of potentially 12 wells.

The onshore effort seems almost certain to resume next year but the schedule for offshore drilling is less certain because of security and other issues. Under its December 2007 contract, BP has already acquired 31,000 square kilometres of 3D seismic data offshore and onshore.

It now wants the site investigation for offshore drilling in water depths of about 2000 metres.

Fuente: LNG Unlimited