You are using an outdated browser and your browsing experience will not be optimal. Please update to the latest version of Microsoft Edge, Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox. Install Microsoft Edge

June 4, 2024

Thailand to Open New Bidding Round for Onshore Oil Exploration and Production

Subscribe to Updates

Thailand’s Department of Mineral Fuels (DMF) is in the process of preparing a notification that will open the application period for onshore petroleum exploration and production rights in the country’s 25th bidding round.

The 25th round of bidding will cover nine petroleum blocks, including the northeastern areas (blocks L1/66, L2/66, L3/66, L4/66, L5/66, L7/66, and L9/66) and central areas (blocks L6/66 and L8/66). The DMF estimates that application submissions will commence around the middle of 2024, and the successful bidder will be announced at the end of the same year.

Based on previous rounds of bidding, applicants must meet the following key criteria:

  1. The applicant is a company with the purpose of carrying out petroleum exploration and production;
  2. The applicant commands the necessary assets, machinery, equipment, tools, and specialists to explore for, produce, sell, and dispose of petroleum;
  3. The applicant has not abandoned its operations under a concession or been subject to revocation of a concession in Thailand; and
  4. None of its personnel, shareholders, directors, or authorized directors is listed as a person who has abandoned its operations under a concession, or has been subject to revocation of a concession in Thailand.

If the applicant does not itself possess all the qualifications under (2) above, it must have another government-approved company that possesses all the qualifications under (2) and has a capital or management relationship with the applicant, and the applicant must supply guarantees that the company will make available to the applicant all necessary assets, machinery, equipment, tools, and specialists for the applicant to explore for, produce, sell, and dispose of petroleum.

Companies with a vested interest in petroleum exploration and production in Thailand must remain vigilant for updates. The DMF is expected to provide an update and more details on the bidding very soon.

For more details on the 25th bidding round, or on any aspect of energy activities in Thailand, please contact Supasit Boonsanong at [email protected], Kobchai Nitungkorn at [email protected], or Thananya Pholchaniko at [email protected].

Related Professionals

Industries

Energy

Location

RELATED INSIGHTS​ 

January 24, 2017
The 2017 edition of Doing Business In…, a Q&A-style guide published by Practical Law Company in collaboration with Lex Mundi, presents an overview of recent legal developments affecting doing business in 51 jurisdictions worldwide. The Thailand chapter of the guide was written by attorneys from Tilleke & Gibbins and presents an overview of Thailand’s legal system and key laws applicable to foreign companies doing business in the Kingdom. The chapter specifically covers the following main topics:
Read More
December 9, 2016
The government of Thailand has made it clear that it intends to fully utilize public-private partnerships (PPPs) in order to implement the country’s upcoming infrastructure development goals. The adoption of the Private Investment in State Undertakings Act B.E. 2556 (2013) (PISUA) and the announcement of the Strategic Plan on Private Investment in State Undertakings in 2015 demonstrate the specific policy objectives the government intends to achieve through using PPPs.
Read More
November 28, 2016
The development of a renewable energy project requires, among a range of factors, engineers to design the facility, state-of-the-art equipment, and a reliable construction firm to implement the project. A key factor in a renewable energy project’s long-term success is devising an appropriate contractual framework to construct the facilities. This is a particularly important consideration, given the scale of many renewable energy projects and the financial sums at stake.  
Read More
August 26, 2016
Thailand’s Ministry of Energy promulgated the Ministerial Regulation Prescribing Plan and Estimated Cost and Security for Decommissioning of Installations Used in the Petroleum Industry B.E. 2559 (2016) earlier this year. As the specific rules and procedures governing the end of the life cycle for upstream petroleum projects had been somewhat uncertain, the decommissioning regulation adds a great deal of clarity on legal obligations for concessionaires.
Read More