The Minister of Energy and Mines, Joel Santospresented the technical roadmap that will lead to the start of the second oil round of the Dominican Republic, scheduled for next November, as part of a strategy aimed at strengthening knowledge of the national hydrocarbon potential, under criteria of sustainability, scientific rigor and public interest.
The initiative contemplates the block tender exploration in different areas of the country that have already been the subject of geological studies and preliminary geophysics, in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution and the current legal framework in matters of hydrocarbons.
-
Santos explained that the projection of the works, which will be carried out until 2028, includes the drilling of a terrestrial exploratory well, the minimum acquisition of 2,500 kilometers of 2D seismic, the processing of 1,500 additional kilometers and the expansion of 300 new gravimetric points, with the aim of reducing geological uncertainty and attracting responsible investment.
The statements were offered during the First exploration forum and exploitation, held at the Hotel JW Marriottwith the participation of authorities, national and international experts and representatives of the public and private sectors.
In this scenario, the official highlighted the actions promoted since 2024 by the Vice Ministry of Hydrocarbons to create a competitive environmenttransparent and predictable, that encourages the participation of leading companies in exploration and production of oil and gas.
“When people see wells with emanationsthat indicates the presence of geological formations, but does not necessarily mean that there is commercially viable production. Hence the importance of technical studies and of the exploratory drilling to determine the quality and quantity of the resources,” he stressed.
Technical and scientific advances
Santos explained that from 2024 the Ministry of Energy and Mines has executed geophysical studiesgeological and geochemical to evaluate the oil and gas potential of the sedimentary basins of the country.
The works include 2D seismic, gravimetry, structural analysis and total organic carbon studies, with interventions in areas such as the Maleno I wellin Azua.
He detailed that 156 samples of rocks and fluids have been analyzed in coordination with the Geolog company and European universities, in addition to 25 samples with the University of Perugia.
Likewise, he highlighted the installation of 50 gravimetric stations at the national level, scientific collaboration for the acquisition project of more than 5,000 kilometers of marine geophysical records through the Geomarhis project and additional strengthening of the National Data Bank of Hydrocarbonswhich today concentrates thousands of maps, seismic profiles and technical records.
In total, the Dominican state has collected around 21,500 kilometers of 2D seismic lines, with an estimated investment of 100 million dollars.
Panels and participants
During the forum several technical panelsmoderated by the vice minister of HydrocarbonsNoel Báez Paredes, and the director of Regulation, Importation and Use of HydrocarbonsWandy Tejada Disla, in which the geological potential of the country, new exploratory frontiers, the current legal framework and the challenges of exploration and eventual exploitation.
Panelists included the executive director of the National Geological Survey, Edwin García Cocco; the president of Lumina, The Leading Light in Energy, Carlos Moreno; the deputy minister of justice, Pedro Montilla; the economist Henri Hebrard; the international geologist César Lugo, and the advisor on hydrocarbons Alberto Reyes.
They attended the meeting Samuel Pereyrapresident of the Dominican Refinery of Oil (Refidomsa); Rolando Muñoz, director of Mining; Betty SotoVice Minister of Innovation and Energy Transition; Gaddis Corporán, Vice Minister of Nuclear Energy; Noelia RiveraVice Minister of Judicial and Extrajudicial Representation of the Ministry of Justice, among other officials and specialists.
