Short Course on

International Oil & Gas Law, Contracts, and Negotiations - PARTS 1 and 2

  • Houston, Texas
  • September 27-October 8, 2021

Monday Morning

Introduction and Opening Remarks

International Oil & Gas Issues and Risks of International Investment

  • Overview of the international oil and gas industry
  • Historical and anticipated risks and rewards inherent in the industry

Hosted Refreshment Break

Confidentiality Agreements

  • Purpose and key provisions of a confidentiality agreement
  • Review of the AIPN Model Form Confidentiality Agreement, which provides protection for valuable information and data that is shared with another company

Lunch – On Your Own

Monday Afternoon

International Dispute Resolution

  • Successful resolution of disputes between parties is essential for business to succeed
  • International arbitration — an impartial private method of resolving disputes
  • AIPN Model Form Dispute Resolution Provisions

Hosted Refreshment Break

Bidding Agreements and AMI Agreements

  • Review of the AIPN Model Form Study and Bid Group Agreement, which provides a basis for companies to establish a consortium to cooperate in bidding for or acquiring oil and gas granting instruments
  • Review of area of mutual interest (AMI) agreements, and their purposes and functions

Hosted Reception for Registrants, Speakers & Guests

Tuesday Morning

Granting Instruments

  • Concessions
  • Production sharing contracts
  • Risk service contracts
  • Other provisions

Hosted Refreshment Break

Granting Instruments (Continued)

Hosted Networking Luncheon

Tuesday Afternoon

Granting Instruments (Continued)

Hosted Refreshment Break

Stabilization Issues in Granting Instruments

  • Change of law as one of the main risks in the international oil and gas industry
  • Stabilization as one method to address the change of law risk

Wednesday Morning

Joint Operating Agreements

  • Rights, duties, and obligations of co-venturers in the same oil and gas contract area
  • AIPN 2012 Model Form International Operating Agreement

Hosted Refreshment Break

Joint Operating Agreements (Continued)

Lunch – On Your Own

Wednesday Afternoon

Joint Operating Agreements (Continued)

Hosted Refreshment Break

JOA Accounting Procedures

  • Funding operations and accounting for costs
  • 2012 AIPN Model Form International Accounting Procedure

Thursday Morning

Participation (Farmout) Agreements

  • A vehicle to acquire an interest in an oil and gas granting instrument by performing or paying for specified work under the granting instrument
  • AIPN Model Form International Farmout Agreement

Hosted Refreshment Break

Participation Agreements (Continued)

Lunch – On Your Own

Thursday Afternoon

Unitization Issues

  • Development of a common oil and/or gas reservoir that underlies more than one contract area
  • Mechanics of unitization and of operating a unit
  • Cross-border unitization
  • AIPN Model Form Unitization UUOA and current revisions

Hosted Refreshment Break

Unitization Issues (Continued)

Friday Morning

Ethics and Anti-Bribery Compliance

  • Bribery and corruption combated through a variety of treaties, conventions, and laws
  • Business ethics and principles critical to working in the international oil and gas industry
  • Traps for the unwary

Hosted Refreshment Break

Crude Oil Lifting Agreements

  • How each co-venturer takes its share of oil and gas production
  • AIPN Model Form Lifting Procedures

Course Adjournment

Monday Morning

Introduction and Opening Remarks

Overview of International Oil & Gas Issues and International Project Development Risks

  • Overview of the international oil and gas industry
  • Historical and anticipated risks and rewards inherent in the industry

Hosted Refreshment Break

Sanctions

  • Review of governmental sanctions that may impact international oil and gas developments

Lunch – On Your Own

Monday Afternoon

Seismic Contracts, Data Use, and Exchange Agreements

  • Overview of the data and operations being covered by these contracts
  • General discussion of the key provisions of the contracts
  • Detailed discussion of some of the complexities and key negotiation issues for the contracts

International Unconventional Resources Development

  • Developments that have brought unconventional oil and gas resources into focus in many parts of the world
  • Unique issues involved in the exploration and exploitation of unconventional resources
  • How these projects differ from exploration and exploitation of conventional oil and gas resources

Hosted Refreshment Break

Crude Oil Marketing

  • Selling and monetization of oil once it is produced
  • Crude oil sales transactions — often done over the phone and documented through relatively simple contracts
  • Importance of customs and practices

Hosted Reception for Registrants, Speakers & Guests

Tuesday Morning

International Drilling and Service Contracts

  • Services provided by service companies in support of petroleum operations under granting instruments
  • Primary issues in service contracts, including warranty and cross-indemnity provisions

Hosted Refreshment Break

International Drilling and Service Contracts (Continued)

Hosted Networking Luncheon

Tuesday Afternoon

Decommissioning Issues

  • Decommissioning as an adjunct obligation to the right to develop oil and gas
  • Review of contractual provisions related to decommissioning

Hosted Refreshment Break

Corporate Social Responsibility and Business Ethics

  • What is involved in corporate social responsibility
  • How CSR has evolved into a necessary area in international oil and gas projects

Wednesday Morning

Sale and Purchase Agreements

  • Selling oil and gas contracts as a common method of monetization
  • Key terms and provisions of a sale

Hosted Refreshment Break

Sale and Purchase Agreements (Continued)

Lunch – On Your Own

Wednesday Afternoon

Sale and Purchase Agreements (Continued)

Hosted Refreshment Break

International Dispute Resolution

  • Successful resolution of disputes between parties essential for business to succeed
  • International arbitration — an impartial private method of resolving disputes
  • Benefits and pitfalls of arbitration

Thursday Morning

Natural Gas Sales Agreements

  • Complexities of pipeline sales of natural gas outside of established markets such as North America and Europe
  • Primary terms and provisions of gas sales agreements

Hosted Refreshment Break

Natural Gas Sales Agreements (Continued)

Lunch – On Your Own

Thursday Afternoon

Natural Gas Pipeline Transportation (Construction & Operation GTA) and Natural Gas Balancing Issues

  • Supply imbalances when co-venturers sell natural gas to different buyers
  • AIPN Model Form Gas Balancing Agreement
  • AIPN Model Form Gas Transportation Agreement

Hosted Refreshment Break

LNG Project Development

  • Conversion of natural gas to a liquid form (LNG) when being transported long distances to market
  • Complexity and uniqueness of international LNG projects
  • Structure and primary contracts of an international LNG project

Friday Morning

LNG Project Development (Continued)

Hosted Refreshment Break

LNG Project Development (Continued)

Course Adjournment