Juicier target CNE or FAR, page-135

Szaba

The following quote is in line with usual international practice with regard to discovery in the exploration phase and then carrying forward through to production........

"If a discovery of Hydrocarbons is declared commercially exploitable, the Contractor shall request, on the date of submission of the plan for the development and putting into operation of the Commercial Deposit concerned, and shall obtain, by decree, in accordance with the provisions of the Petroleum Code, Operating authorization relating to the Exploitation Perimeter of the Deposit granted for a period of twenty-five (25) years and relating to the extent of the commercial deposit within the current Contractual Area.
ENDQUOTE"

Note it is the contractor that will request operating authorisation to exploit perimeter of deposit for 25 years. What you usually find in exploration licenses is the "right" to be able to apply for an exploitation license (oil.gas or minerals) after satisfying usual conditions which may include environmental conditions, community acceptance etc. etc. In other words if a company is going to come in and explore and risk considerable amounts of money then they have the right to develop subject to some of those conditions mentioned above. I can only guess that the bidding process you allude to relates to building infrastructure?? (as Whiskey mentioned in a previous post)...... although I am not convinced about this yet and more clarification required.

As for your final paragraph re "operatorship", well this is consistent with what I said re conditions of exploration PSC carrying over to exploitation PSC.

As I mentioned in an earlier post that if what you said was true re a bidding process for exploitation then who would bother conducting any exploration at all if there were not guarantees that they could move forward to exploitation subject to meeting usual requirements that are normally addressed in a feasibility study.