Congo-B: Licensing round stresses local content

The Republic of Congo on 28 October launched a licensing round for all its open acreage. Awarded blocks will be governed by the terms of the new petroleum code, which is before parliament (AE 308/12). Director-general of hydrocarbons Serge Ndeko told a promotional roadshow in Cape Town that the existing code dated back to 1994 and needed updating. “Exploration is moving towards frontier areas, deep offshore, intensive exploration, ageing producing fields. Hence the need to refresh the E&P framework,” he said.