PARIS, FRANCE: On January 9 2017, Total SA has entered into a Sale and Purchase Agreement (SPA) to acquire 21.57% out of Tullow Oil plc’s 33.33% interest in the Lake Albert licenses.
China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC) exercised its right to pre-empt 50% of the transaction. As a result, Total and CNOOC would have each increased their interest to 44.1% while Tullow would have kept 11.8%.
Total’s interest will therefore remain at 33.3% on blocks EA1, EA2 and EA3 prior to the 15% national company back-in, Total being operator of the block EA1 which contains the largest part of the reserves. Total keeps the right to pre-empt any future transactions, in case any party divests part or all of its interest.
Since 2017, all parties have been actively progressing the SPA. However, despite diligent discussions with the authorities, no agreement on the fiscal treatment of the transaction has been reached. The deadline for closing the transaction has been extended several times, clearly demonstrating the endeavors of the parties to find an agreement. The final deadline will be reached at the end of today, August 29, 2019, and as such, the Acquisition Agreement will be automatically terminated.
“Despite the termination of this agreement, Total together with its partners CNOOC and Tullow will continue to focus all its efforts on progressing the development of the Lake Albert oil resources. The project is technically mature and we are committed to continuing to work with the Government of Uganda to address the key outstanding issues required to reach an investment decision. A stable and suitable legal and fiscal framework remains a critical requirement for investors,” said Arnaud Breuillac, President Exploration & Production of Total.
© Worldofchemicals News