At the end of the Uruguay Round II deadline for request qualification in order to participate in the bidding processes, 11 world oil companies (7 of them between the 100 top ones) presented the documentation needed for the qualification assessment process. The approved companies will be able to present bid proposals for the 15 blocks offered by the Uruguayan government for the oil exploration and production in the Oriental del Plata, Pelotas and Punta del Este offshore basins.

Apache, Murphy Oil and ExxonMobil (USA), BP and BG (UK), Shell (Netherlands), Total (France), Tullow Oil (Ireland), CEPSA ( Spain), Edison (Italy), and YPF (Argentine) are the companies interested in the Uruguayan current bidding process. Now ANCAP technical staff will evaluate the legal documents and financial and technical information presented by each of the oil companies. On March 15 as a maximum the national oil company must define what companies are qualified for bid offers.

The last step of the Uruguay Round II will be on March 29, 2012 as a deadline when the qualified oil companies must present its bids. On March 30 ANCAP will make public the offers for each area.

The marine platform is already explored by a consortium of Petrobras, YPF and Galp, that were the bidding winners in the first Uruguay Round in 2009. According to ANCAP authorities there is a big increase in the oil sector interest on the Uruguayan offshore, if they compare with the first bid where only six oil companies asked for qualification.

Tags: ANCAP