On 22 July 2020, the National Oil and Gas Agency (ANPG) hosted a live broadcast to provide information on several topics related to the 2020-2021 Onshore Bid Round which is expected to open in Q1 2021. Information on the legal and contractual framework, the certification of companies, access to land, environmental considerations, the data package, tax and contractual terms, the promotion of local content and on the bidding process was provided.   For example, ANPG will put in place some contractual incentives for the local companies that apply to the licensing round, like reduced rate of petroleum income tax (from 50% to 30%) and exemptions from signature bonuses. However, local firms will not be allowed to cede any part of their ownership to foreign entities while holding the licenses, or they will lose the incentives. The entry fee has been fixed at USD 1 million (non-refundable).  The timetable for the 2020-2021 Onshore Bid Round is:    1 October 2020: Pre-announcement of      the launch  6 to 22 October 2020: Roadshows  29 January 2021: Launch of the      Bidding Round  10 March 2021: Deadline for      submission of the bids  11 March 2021: Opening of the bids  26 April 2021: Qualification of the      winners  15 May 2021: Attribution of the      contracts (and negotiations)  20 August 2021: Signature of the      contracts   Â Paulino JerÃ³nimo, President of ANPG mentioned that âThe tenders, which we will start in the last quarter of 2020, are aimed at all companies interested in the development and profitability of the Angolan oil sector. We want to receive proposals from domestic companies as much as we want to receive proposals from foreign companies - those that already collaborate with us and those that have the capacity and look to our country as a good destination for their investments. The Executive and ANPG are committed to this dynamic and to maintaining the relevance of the oil sector in Angola, which is why we are fully available to listen to all stakeholders who come to usâ. Given the cancelled 2014/2015 onshore round in which licences were only granted to local companies, Paulino JerÃ³nimo's comment bodes well for the 2020 bid.   On 28 May 2020, the ANPG announced that the Data Package related to the Onshore bidding blocks within the Lower Congo (CON1, CON5 and CON6) and Kwanza (KON5, KON6, KON8, KON9, KON17 and KON20) is available.  Parties interested in the data package and in participating in a Data Show Room to be carried out by the ANPG, should express their interest via the (www. anpg.co.ao).  For additional information:  Email: licensing_round2020@anpg.co.ao     Steps taken towards the 2020 Onshore bidding round thus far:     On 22 July, the ANPG announced that      the bid would open in Q4 2020 and that proposals from both local and      international companies would be well received.   On 28 May 2020, the ANPG announced      that the Data Package related to the Onshore bidding blocks was available.        On 10 March 2020, the ANPG      announced that it would hold a clarification session related to the 2020      onshore licencing round (this was later postponed due to the COVID-19      pandemic). The aim of the session was to inform interested companies about      the legal and contractual framework ahead of the upcoming licencing round      (this is assumed to relate to a new model Onshore PSA). It's      worth noting that in February 2018, during its annual press conference      Sonangol E.P announced that it would develop a new model Production      Sharing Agreement (PSA) for Onshore Exploration and Production. The      announcement seemed to suggest that no new onshore bidding rounds will      take place until the new model Onshore PSA was completed (this seems to be      the case).   On 4 November 2019, bids are      understood to have been opened relating to accessibility studies related      to the blocks which will be on offer. The tender was made public on 18      October 2019.    On 17 September at the London      roadshow event for the 2019 offshore Namibe licencing round, members of      the ANPG mentioned that a pre-announcement for the 2020 Onshore Licencing      round would be made in November 2019. The plan was to launch the bid      in March 2020 and have contracts signed by the end of the year.  The 18 February 2019, Presidential      Decree No 52/19 set out governmentsâ general strategy for awarding acreage      between 2019 and 2025.    According to Presidential Decree No 52/19 a public tender for onshore blocks will take place in 2020, and the ANPG will offer the following blocks:  Within the Lower Congo Basin:  CON1, CON5 and CON6  Within the Kwanza Basin   KON5, KON6, KON8, KON9, KON17 and KON20  Background Information  Except for KON20 all the proposed blocks were offered in the cancelled 2014/2015 onshore bidding round. It seems likely that the blocks that attracted most attention then will attract most of the attention in this round.     40 companies submitted bids (predominantly local and with very little or no oil and gas experience). The three Lower Congo Basin blocks (CON1, 5 and 6) are understood to have received 41 bids, whilst the seven Kwanza Basin blocks (KON3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, and 17) attracted 43 bids.   The most contested blocks were as follows:    CON 1: 21      bids   CON      6: 16 bids   KON      5: 16 bids   KON      6: 8 bids   KON      17: 8 bids
Angola, not found