AMSIABLN 5 (MGIARY NI MWA 3HL INTERVIEW Jean-Marc THYSTERETCHICAYA Minister of Hydrocarbons 665. oil and gas industry will be ensured a favourable as well as stable fiscal and Customs regime. 99 IN FIGURES Haute Mer A field reserves 115 million boe Projected Congolaise de Raffinage capacity expansion Upto 1.2 million tonnes New code for a better future In August 2015, Jean-Marc Thystére-Tchicaya was appointed minister of hydrocarbons, having been recruited from Total E&P Congo's office in Pointe- Noire. In this interview, Minister Thystére-Tchicaya shares his plan for developing the oil and gas industry in the Republic of Congo and opportunities for future investment in the country’s deepwater and its downstream sector. What are your principal objectives and chal- lenges as newly appointed minister? ‘As part of President Denis Sassou Nguesso’. roamap, the implementation of a new legal {ang fiscal remework forthe upstream pet leum sectors one prion It should be covered in the new hycrocarbons cade, curently being reviewed by parliament, Part of my mandate isto renew Congo’ hycrecarbons reserves. To that effect, an open bidding round was launched on October 28, 2015, in Cape Town. New production permits a¢€ being allocated to ail companies on. prospects that had commercial discoveries and mature files are being redeveloped and optimises: Where are the deep offshore opportunities? The countrys full deepwater opportunites, ‘The fist an largest deepwater project ongoing in the country sin Total EBP Congos Moho Blonde black, Ihe Lianz ollfeld, operates: by CChevron and put in production in Novernber 2015, is another deepwater project, situated ina shared block between Angola and Congo. ‘Additionally, Ancroméce, Aurige Nord, PE ‘gase Nord, Cassionée Est ano Persée are all CGeepwater fieldsin the Mer Ties Profonde Sud {MTPS) block. These fields are 1,200-3,200 metres deep anc have stacks of 238 milion bartels fal for 20 years of production, or 183 million bartels for preduction over 10 yeas, The Chinese National Offshore Oil Corpo: ration operates in the Haute Mer Ain 3 file ‘lscovered in the Flephant prospect, which, has nearly 115 millon barrels of el instock What ole will a new hydrocarbons law play inthis bidding round? The new hydrocarbons code stems from a ies of guidelines forthe hydrocartons and mining industries contained In the roacrmap laid cutby Presicent Sasscu Nguesso in 2008, Itaddresses several concerns, ‘The law zims at consolidating petroleum reduction to guarantee the sate’ necessary revenues for it io continue the country’s med emisation and industrialisaton, The law also aims at encouraging continued exploration {and production investments in Congo, par ticularty in the deep offshore and interior Cu verte Basin, Legaland contractual provisions favourable tothe recovery of investments will be includes In the code. The oil nd gas industry will be ensured a favourable as well 2s stable fiscal and Customs regime, How will the country’s downstream sector be monetised? The Centrale Electrique du Congo plant, with 2 total production capacity of 330 MW, anciLa Centrale ce Djeno, with 2 capacity of $0 MN, are using associated gas to produce electri. The monetisation of the Marine 12 field's natural as, operated by Eni Congo, will enable both power plants’capacty to be doubled. Congo 's part of the World Bank's Global Gas Flaring Recuction initiative. tis partnerec with the organisation to cevelopa gas master plan, Iniially basec on associated gas, this partnership has been extended to cover the Current gas production from the Marine 12, ppeerit. Consultancy frm Mott MacDonald is conducting a study to determine a gas master plan anc upstream company New Ageis con- ducting a study on ways to use the natural {gas From Marine 12 in a loating LNG project. The country’s only refinery, Congolaise de Raffinage, procuces for local consumption only, To better cover the country’s comestic needs, a project to expand the refinery’ ca pacity from 1 milion fo 1.2 millon tonnes is being stucied. the ministry is also engaging in talks wih Total F&2 Congo over the man agement ofits ol terminal n Djeno, the coun- ‘ys sole storage terminal for crude ol How can the ministry help overcome the economic challenges the country faces? Companies’ compliance with the legal opera- tiens framework needs to be monitored by an Autorsation Terporaire pour Eerce, which allows companies to operate as a branch lunder a shortteer contract ether than regis tering as a Congolese entiy, Doing so will ensure that all companies are following the law. Administrative anc legal procedures earied aut inthe olland gas Industry must also be simplifies. m