$26m for Cambodian blocks

摘要

France's Total and state-owned PetroVietnam have paid out US $26m in signature bonuses and social funds to the Cambodian government after being awarded an onshore and an offshore block. The Phnom Penh Post reported that the payments relate to PetroVietnam's Block 15 to the southeast of the Tonle Sap Lake and Total's Area III, which covers 2,430sq km and lies in a disputed area in the Gulf of Thailand. The revenue marks a huge rise on the $800,000 the government received in December, the report said. When approached by the Post, Jean-Paul Precigout, the main negotiator for Total said it is unclear why the French operator made a signature payment to the government in January, while deals for Block 26 and Area III are "still under discussion". The Cambodian newspaper also claimed Total is set to seal a 10-year conditional agreement with the government for Block 26, an onshore block covering 22,050sq km from the capital city Phnom Penh to the Vietnamese border.