Upstream Activities
Downstream Activities

Upstream Activities

Contracts, Permits and Licences 
  • Prospecting Permits
  • Prospecting Agreement

  • Petroleum Agreement (PA)

    Overview

    A Petroleum Agreement (PA) is a legally binding contract between the Government and an investor (Contractor), defining the rights and obligations for exploration, development, and production of petroleum resources. Cambodia uses the Production Sharing Contract (PSC) model for upstream activities. Under a PSC, the Contractor is granted exclusive rights to explore, develop and produce petroleum in a designated area and has a validity of 30 years. An extension may be granted in accordance with the Law on the Management of Petroleum and Petroleum Products and the specific terms of the contract.

    Applicants must be legal entities with sufficient technical expertise and financial resources. The application process is administered by the Ministry of Mines and Energy (MME).

    Application Process

    Applicants who wish to apply for a Petroleum Agreement can submit a Letter of Intent (LoI) or contact the Ministry of Mines and Energy for more detailed procedures and relevant requirements, via email info@mme.gov.kh or One Window Service Office (OWSO) of MME during working hours. 

    Fees and Financial Obligations
    • Service Fees:
         • Review and process application documents for the petroleum agreement: 16,400,000 KHR
       

    For more detailed information regarding financial obligations, please refer to the Inter-Ministerial Prakas No. 489 MEF/MME (July 24, 2024) issued by the Ministry of Mines and Energy and the Ministry of Economy and Finance. 

Application Process

To apply for the Contracts, Permits and Licenses submit a ‘Letter of Intent’ to the Ministry of Mines and Energy via the One Window Service located at the MME.

  1. Permission to Review and Purchase E&P Data per Onshore Block
    Overview

    Permission to review and purchase Exploration and Production (E&P) data for Onshore Cambodia may be granted to interested parties for the purpose of conducting preliminary technical and commercial evaluations of petroleum prospects within the country. The data covers both Paleozoic and Mesozoic sedimentary basins, which hold the potential for substantial reserves of oil and natural gas. The primary prospective sedimentary basin is the Tonle Sap Basin, which represents a promising target area for further petroleum exploration. Based on available data, the potential areas for onshore exploration blocks are located around the Tonle Sap Lake: Block XI, XII, XIII, XIV, XV, XVI and Block XVII.

    Applicants may review and purchase the following datasets: Airborne magnetic and gravity survey (Tonle Sap and Mekong Basin) of 60,900 km2; multi-client 2D Seismic Survey of 2,085 km; HRAMG Block XV of 6,176 km2; 2D Seismic Block XV of 607 km; and 2D Seismic Block XVII of 293 km. The review and purchase of E&P data are currently under the supervision of the Ministry of Mines and Energy (MME) of Cambodia.

    Application Process

    Applicants who wish to obtain permission for reviewing or purchasing E&P data can submit a Letter of Intent (LoI) or contact the Ministry of Mines and Energy for more detailed procedures and relevant requirements, via email or One Window Service Office (OWSO) of MME during working hours. From the date MME receives the completed request, the applicant will receive a written response (approval or rejection) within:

    • 14 working days for data review
    • 30 working days for data purchase.

    Fees and Financial Obligations

    Service Fees:

    • Reviewing data: 2,050,000 Riels per Onshore block per day
    • Purchasing data: 20,500,000 Riels per Onshore block.


    For more detailed information regarding financial obligations, please refer to the Inter-Ministerial Prakas No. 489 MEF/MME (July 24, 2024) issued by the Ministry of Mines and Energy and the Ministry of Economy and Finance.
     

  2. Permission to Review and Purchase E&P Data per Offshore Block
    Overview

    Permission to review and purchase Exploration and Production (E&P) data for Offshore Cambodia may be granted to interested parties for the purpose of evaluating petroleum opportunities within the Kingdom’s offshore basins. Cambodia offshore has been
    explored by several international companies and confirmed that Cambodia has proven petroleum systems and resource potentials. The potential areas for offshore exploration blocks are Block A, Block B, Block C, Block D, Block E, and Block F.

    Block A is the priority area for redevelopment with existing facilities include a production platform and a production barge. To date, 25 exploration wells have been drilled in Block A, of which 21 encountered oil (84%). Seven wells recorded more than 50 feet of net oil pay. Applicants may review and purchase the following datasets: 34 exploration wells; 6 development and production wells; 2D seismic survey of 23,513 km; and 3D seismic survey of 7,177 km². The review and purchase of Offshore E&P data are currently under the supervision 
    of the Ministry of Mines and Energy (MME) of Cambodia.

    Application Process

    Applicants who wish to obtain permission for reviewing or purchasing data can submit a Letter of Intent (LoI) or contact the Ministry of Mines and Energy for more detailed procedures and relevant requirements, via email or One Window Service Office (OWSO) of MME during working hours. From the date MME receives the completed request, the applicant will receive a written response (approval or rejection) within:

    • 14 working days for data review
    • 30 working days for data purchase.

    Fees and Financial Obligations

    Service Fees:

    • Reviewing data: 41,000,000 Riels per Offshore block per day
    • Purchasing data: 410,000,000 Riels per Offshore block.
       

    For more detailed information regarding financial obligations, please refer to the Inter-Ministerial Prakas No. 489 MEF/MME (July 24, 2024) issued by the Ministry of Mines and Energy and the Ministry of Economy and Finance.
     

  3. Permission to Import and Export Petroleum Samples
    Overview

    Permission to import and export petroleum samples may be issued to support Exploration and Production (E&P) activities in Cambodia. Such permission ensures that technical studies essential to petroleum operations – including laboratory analysis, reservoir evaluation, and quality testing, can be conducted either domestically or abroad where specialized facilities are available.

    Petroleum samples may include cores and cuttings, crude oil, natural gas, condensate, formation water, refined petroleum products, and associated materials obtained during exploration, appraisal, and production stages. These samples are strictly intended for research, analysis, and technical assessment, and are not permitted for commercial trading purposes.

    Application Process

    Applicants who wish to obtain permission for the import or export of petroleum samples can submit a Letter of Intent (LoI) or contact the Ministry of Mines and Energy (MME) for more detailed procedures and applicable requirements, via email or One Window Service Office (OWSO) of MME during working hours. The applicant will receive a written response (approval or rejection) within 15 working days from the date MME receives the completed request.

    Applicants may request permission to import petroleum samples for specialized analysis available in Cambodia, or to export samples for​ laboratory testing overseas. All data and results derived from such testing remain subject to the authority and supervision of MME.

    • Packing list,
    • Exact date or rough date of shipping (if any),
    • Photos of samples with company’s official stamp (if any), and
    • Port of export/import.

    Fees and Financial Obligations

    Service Fees: 2,050,000 Riels per transaction.

    For more detailed information regarding financial obligations, please refer to the Inter-Ministerial Prakas No. 489 MEF/MME (July 24, 2024) issued by the Ministry of Mines and Energy and the Ministry of Economy and Finance.