Tuesday, May 03, 2005

ERHC Won Block 4, But Radio Report Stirs "Crisis of Confidence" in Sao Tome

A RDP Africa radio story reported in the Sao Tome press indicates ERHC Energy has won a block sought by the multinational giant Anadarko Petroleum, but has also stirred a "crisis of confidence" in the tiny island republic of Sao Tome and Principe, the online news Website Vitrina said. The account comes from a publication that has sided against President Fradique de Menezes in the upcoming elections, backing a new political party against his. The reporter says the report "fell like a bomb" on Sao Tome.

Government officials defended their actions and the opposition party seemed to have a monopoly on the protest.

Vitrina describes but does not name ERHC Energy chairman Sir Emeka Offor, saying "The same international radio report said the company is directed by a Nigerian with a Sao Tome diplomatic passport who is a counselor to President de Menezes on foreign investments."

The occasion for the story was a press conference given by two oil ministry officials speaking on behalf of the cabinet of President Fradique de Menezes who denied the charges of favoritism in the award of blocks. Some cabinet members are reportedly ERHC Energy shareholders, and a member of parliament wants them removed from the review of the awards by Sao Tome and Principe officials.

Vitrina, one outlet in the very circumscribed Sao Tome press, which consists of three online news sites and an occasional radio report from the Portuguese news service Lusa, headlined a report from RDP, the African radio arm of Lusa, quoting natural resources minister Arlindo Carvalho as denying that Sao Tomese officials tried to get blocks in the second licensing round of the Nigeria-Sao Tome and Principe Joint Development Zone for shareholders who are Sao Tomese citizens.

But the radio report carried the story a step further, a fact not reported in the Lusa story ERHC On The Move translated earlier.

What was omitted from the Lusa piece Monday was the news that ERHC Energy was the focus of "difficulties" surrounding the award of Block 4 over stiff opposition from Anadarko. That omission may be meaningful in itself if it indicates that the whole thing is a tempest in a teapot.

Anadarko, however, has only agreed to sink one well in Block 4 over the course of three years, while ERHC Energy's partner in the block, Noble Energy, has committed to drilling three wells in one year.

The material quoted in the one paragraph below is from the original Vitrina account quoting the RDP Africa story:

“Exemplo disso é o caso da ANADARCO, uma empresa norte americana que terá oferecido 90 milhões de dólares para a exploração do bloco número quatro, mas que foi alegadamente desqualificada a favor da ERHC, empresa que tem accionistas santomenses e que apresentou uma proposta de 57 milhões de dólares, ou seja, menos 33 milhões de dólares do que a proposta norte americana” – revelou a RDP-África.


Here is my translation:

An example given is the case of Anadarko, an American company that had offered $90 million to explore block number four, but was allegedly disqualified in favor of ERHC, a company with Sao Tomese shareholders that offered $57 million, or in other words, $33 million less than the American company offered."

Readers should note that ERHC Energy is an American company, too, headquartered in Houston, Texas, but has a majority of its ownership in Nigeria. There has never been any indication that any Sao Tomese official is a substantial shareholder.

The entire lengthy report is in Portuguese, and I will leave it to carsonckid, the poster on Raging Bull's ERHE message board who swiped my last one without attribution, to provide his own translation.

However, the head of the National Petroleum Council, one Carlos Neves, is also quoted in the story as saying that due to the controversy, it will have to be seen during the council's review whether the decisions reached are just. He seems to suggest that there could be additional delays, although he says the issue is unclear. He said:

“Está demonstrado que há um vício na forma, porque há representantes do estado santomense que são accionistas das empresas. O facto a partida levanta um clima de suspeição” – defendeu Carlos Neves, para depois precisar que “o processo não está claro. Por isso essas negociações em curso devem ser revistas.”

Here is my translation of the foregoing paragraph, which seems to augur delays:

It has been demonstrated that there is vice in a form, because there are representatives of the Sao Tomese state who are shareholders of the company. This fact alone raises a climate of suspicion. The process is not clear. Therefore, these negotiations in due course must be reviewed.

Carlos Neves is likely a relative, if not the husband or brother, of Maria de Neves, the Sao Tomese prime minister booted last year for defrauding the government.

The story says "The leader of the insurgent party in Parliament is also sure to have suspicions."

"The case promises yet a lot more ink," the story concludes, indicating that more attention to the matter lies ahead.

Here is the Vitrina story (emphasis added):

PETRÓLEO CRIA DESCONFIANÇA E GERA POLÉMICA EM S.T.P.
by José Bouças


03.05.2005-J.Vitrina-(S. Tomé) O segundo leilão lançado na zona de exploração conjunta com a Nigéria está a gerar polémica. Informações postas a circular dão conta de que teria havido favorecimentos na adjudicação de alguns blocos. Ontem os ministros dos recursos naturais, dos negócios estrangeiros, bem como os directores do gabinete da presidência da república e da agência nacional do petróleo, deram uma conferência de imprensa conjunta para desmentir tais informações.

Segundo o ministro dos recursos naturais, Arlindo de Carvalho nenhum bloco petrolífero inscrito no segundo leilão foi adjudicado a qualquer das empresas concorrentes no concurso. Razão pela qual diz tratar-se de boato.

Porque a notícia sobre alegados favorecimentos de empresas cujo alguns sócios são santomenses em detrimento de outras que teriam apresentadas melhores propostas caiu como uma bomba no país, hoje a comissão parlamentar para assuntos petrolíferos chamou o ministro dos recursos naturais para o parlamento para prestar esclarecimento sobre a matéria.

Depois do interrogatório a porta fechada, o presidente da comissão Carlos Neves afirmou que as negociações petrolíferas em curso devem ser revistas. “Está demonstrado que há um vício na forma, porque há representantes do estado santomense que são accionistas das empresas. O facto a partida levanta um clima de suspeição” – defendeu Carlos Neves, para depois precisar que “o processo não está claro. Por isso essas negociações em curso devem ser revistas”.

O líder da bancada parlamentar do partido no poder também insurgiu e garantiu haver suspeitas em relação ao processo. Alcino Pinto defende por isso que para clarificar a situação é preciso que doravante todos os santomenses que tenham acções nas empresas petrolíferas sejam afastados das comissões negociais.

A polémica veio a baila na passada sexta-feira quando a RDP-África difundiu uma notícia segundo a qual o processo de adjudicação dos blocos petrolíferos na zona de exploração conjunta estaria a despertar suspeitas de eventuais jogos.

Esta estação emissora portuguesa direccionada para África dava conta que uma das suas fontes teria revelado a desqualificação de algumas empresas com melhores propostas em benefício de outras onde existem accionistas santomenses que também são membros do conselho ministerial conjunto. “Exemplo disso é o caso da ANADARCO, uma empresa norte americana que terá oferecido 90 milhões de dólares para a exploração do bloco número quatro, mas que foi alegadamente desqualificada a favor da ERHC, empresa que tem accionistas santomenses e que apresentou uma proposta de 57 milhões de dólares, ou seja, menos 33 milhões de dólares do que a proposta norte americana” – revelou a RDP-África.

Avançou ainda que uma outra empresa terá conseguido qualificar-se apesar de ter sido criada a pressa e sem qualquer experiência no ramo do petróleo. A dita empresa acrescentou a mesma rádio internacional é dirigida por um nigeriano com passaporte diplomático de S.Tomé e Príncipe e alegadamente conselheiro do presidente Fradique de Menezes para investimentos externos. Informações que ontem foram desmentidas pelas autoridades nacionais ligadas ao dossier em conferência de imprensa que decorreu no ministério dos negócios estrangeiros cooperação e comunidades.

Seja como for o caso promete correr ainda muita tinta.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Thanks, Joe, for great find of that article in Portuguese! It has some good news (if true) that ERHE has won operatorship of Block 4, but it also implies that the decision could yet be contested since the decision may not have been entirely fair.

It would greatly clarify the situation if the JDA would release a PR that details the results of last week's meeting.

Thanks also for translating the key passages of that article from Sao Tome.

Anonymous said...

Offor does not hold a Sao Tome diplomatic passport and is not an adviser to President Menezes. It is another Nigerian citizen, with a lower profile but good connections. Of course there is controversy in Sao Tome. Everything is controversy in Sao Tome. We are used to that. The lobbying is not yet done, but everyone is committed to a deal under this round. Not today, not tomorrow, but as soon as everything is in place.
mutwadadi

Anonymous said...

It seems to me what is needed in Sao Tome is an explanation to the opposition party why it is important to look at more variables than just signature bonus monies when evaluating the various companies.

As was stated last night. Noble/ERHE promised to drill 3 wells in one year vs. Anadarko's 1 well in 3 years.

So although Anadarko is promising more in the form of a signature bonus, Noble/ERHE is committed to spending more money in the region during the first 3 years.

In fact it should be an easy decsion. Assuming each deepwater well costs $35 million to spud. ERHE/Noble is willing to spend $105 million in the first year vs. an average expenditure of $12 million from Anadarko.

This is an easy decision. Noble/ERHE is willing to spend much more in the way of resources and thus should be the chosen party. It is the oil revenues which are most important, not the signature bonus monies.

And Sao Tome will benefit from much faster oil revenue if they sign on with the Noble/ERHE group as opposed to Anadrako.

Anonymous said...

Delaying this process only hurts the people of Sao Tome further. The longer they delay things the longer it will be before they realize their first drop of oil revenues.

Also the longer the delay in the JDZ the longer it will be before they could launch their won licensing around in the Sao Tome EEZ.

Anonymous said...

Does anyone know who is the nigerian citizen that holds santomean diplomatic passport? And what does he do, in Sao Tome?
Thanks