The sources did not specify if the parties see the proposal as viable or if this has been a rough point in the negotiations. that have gained strength in recent weeks, on the eve of submitting a development plan to the regulator during the first quarter of next year. The companies continue to discuss the commercial terms under which the field will be exploited, that is, what is related to the commercialization of hydrocarbons, which will belong to around 50% of the state company Pemex.
Technical terms have already been finalized, according to those close to the talks.
A senior manager of one of the companies involved in the negotiation said that it is “too early” to reveal what will be the future of the crude oil extracted from Zama. The state company and the rest of those involved in the transaction expect the field to register its first production during 2024, but everything will depend on the speed with which they manage to finish the negotiations.
Estimates for Zama indicate that the field could produce between 150,000 and 180,000 barrels per day, about 10% of the production currently reported by Pemex.
Talos and Pemex were consulted but offered no comment.
The Zama field, the biggest oil find in decades, has been in dispute for the past two years because it sits in the middle of a block awarded to a US-led consortium and an area controlled by Pemex. The companies have been discussing the future of the deposit since last year.
Pemex will be the operator of the field, as designated by the Ministry of Energy after a questioned analysis.
The directors of the oil company have assured that Zama is part of a long-term plan that seeks to form a development pole with Nikita and Chamak, two potential fields owned by the state company. But so far they have not publicly mentioned anything related to taking the oil from the field to the Olmeca refinery, which does not yet have a date to start operations.