Grupo Carso and Talos Energy agree to the sale of 49.9% of Talos’ interest in Campo Zama.
Mexico’s Grupo Carso and US-based Talos Energy signed a pact on Thursday that will give Mexican tycoon Carlos Slim entry into a consortium developing a key offshore oil field, seen as one of the biggest crude discoveries in the country in the hands of a private businessman. .
Grupo Carso will acquire 49.9% of the Talos subsidiary in Mexico for 124.75 million dollars in two parts. The first, for 74.85 million dollars, at the closing of the operation, which is expected to be in the third quarter of the year, and the rest, 49.90 million dollars, with the first production, both companies said in separate statements.
Talos Energy has a 17.35% stake in the emblematic Zama field, which it shares with Mexico’s state oil company Pemex, which owns 50.43%, while Wintershall Dea holds 19.83% and Harbor Energy 12.39%.
Talos said it will remain the controlling shareholder of Talos Mexico.
“With the execution of this operation, Grupo Carso will actively participate with Talos in order to obtain the most efficient execution of the project together with Pemex and the other members of the consortium,” the Mexican company said in its statement.
Talos Energy had a lengthy confrontation with Pemex over who should be the operating partner to develop the field, discovered by Talos in 2017. The dispute reached such a point that the Mexican and US governments had to mediate.
Finally, the Mexican Ministry of Energy (Sener) decided in 2021 to assign the operation to Pemex, after an agreement was not reached between the parties.
With the operation of the Talos field, he sought to have the possibility of determining how best to develop the discovery, one of the most outstanding in the world in shallow waters, with some 850 million barrels of oil equivalent.
The Mexican oil sector regulator is currently discussing the Zama development plan, which states that the field is expected to produce up to 180,000 barrels per day (bpd) of crude between 24 and 27 degrees API.
Reuters. (Reporting by Adriana Barrera, edited by Ana Isabel Martínez)
