Pandora licence separate from Pasca A, says Kua

A PETROLEUM Retention License (PRL) for the Pandora gas fields in Gulf has to be processed separately, and not integrated into the Pasca A oil and gas project negotiations, says Petroleum Minister Kerenga Kua.
Twinza Oil Ltd is currently in negotiations with the State negotiation team for a gas agreement on the proposed Pasca project in Gulf.
It wants the Pandora and Pasca projects to be aligned.
Kua told Parliament yesterday that since the licence for Pandora had expired and now with the Government, there had been applications from other developers.
“The negotiations underway is (only) for a licenced area for Pasca,” Kua said.
“Pandora is a different licence held previously with another holder which had expired and now with the Government.
“Many have applied but it must go through separate statutory processes through the department of petroleum.
“This is a separate licence, separate tenement which goes through separate process completely.”
He said Twinza wanted, “and they have some valid reasons”, to be given the license to both Pasca and Pandora together to “aggregate it and create bigger volumes, revenue and business for all of us”. “That does have merits. However, whether that should happen or not should be decided by an independent process,” he said.
“We cannot bring Pandora in and deal with it together with Pasca. It must go through a separate process.”
Kua said whatever the advice from the petroleum advisory board to him, there would still be an opportunity for Twinza to participate.