Mexico's state oil regulator, the Comisión Nacional de Hidrocarburos (CNH), has revealed 26 companies that have qualified to participate in the country's so-called Round 1.4, in Mexico's deepwater offshore.
The companies pre-qualified in the fourth phase of Mexico's historic Round One, include oil majors BP, Shell, Total, Chevron, ExxonMobil and Statoil, as well as Mexican state-oil firm Pemex, Eni, Repsol, and China ƶijϻ Oil Corp.
Round One follows major energy reform in the country, leading to the opening of Mexico's upstream business to foreign companies for the first time in decades.
Of the 26, 10 are pre-qualified as operators, with a further 10 non-operators.
Round 1.4 will comprise 10 contract areas, in the Perdido Belt and the Cuenca Salina, both deepwater regions of the Mexican side of the Gulf of Mexico. The Perdido Fold Belt is largely thought to be the most prized area. The area is known geologically to US oil majors.
The pre-qualified operators are listed as:
Atlantic Rim Mexico, BHP Billiton, BP, Chevron, China ƶijϻ Oil Corporation, Eni, ExxonMobil, Hess, Murphy Oil, Noble Energy, Petronas, Pemex, Repsol, Shell, Statoil, and Total.
The non operators are listed as:
Galp Energia, Inpex, Lukoil, Mitsubishi Corp., Mitsui, ONGC, Ophir, Petro-Canada, Petrobras, and Sierra ƶijϻ Exploration.
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