壳牌寻求延长委内瑞拉天然气项目的美国许可证

壳牌正在寻求美国的长期授权，然后才能最终完成对委内瑞拉 Dragon 天然气项目的投资，该项目位于特立尼达和多巴哥的海上边界附近，拥有大量天然气储量。虽然特立尼达和委内瑞拉需要天然气和潜在收入，但目前的美国许可证将于 2025 年 10 月到期，导致壳牌请求延期，以涵盖该油田的投资决策以及与特立尼达 NGC 的共同开发。

Shell Seeks Extended U.S. License for Venezuela Gas Project

壳牌寻求延长委内瑞拉天然气项目的美国许可证

Houston, Texas - Royal Dutch Shell, a global energy giant, is reportedly pursuing a long-term license from the United States before making a definitive investment decision on the Dragon natural gas project in Venezuela. According to four individuals with knowledge of the matter, Shell's request stems from the anticipated extended timeline for the project compared to the existing U.S. license granted to Trinidad and Tobago.

德克萨斯州休斯顿 - 据报道，全球能源巨头荷兰皇家壳牌公司正在寻求美国的长期许可证，然后再对委内瑞拉的 Dragon 天然气项目做出最终投资决定。据四位知情人士透露，壳牌的要求源于与美国授予特立尼达和多巴哥的现有许可证相比，该项目的预计时间表会延长。

The Dragon field, located in Venezuelan waters near the maritime border with Trinidad and Tobago, holds an estimated 4.2 trillion cubic feet of natural gas. Trinidad and Tobago has a pressing need for this resource to fuel its liquefied natural gas and petrochemical industries, while Venezuela seeks to establish a new revenue stream through exports.

Dragon气田位于委内瑞拉与特立尼达和多巴哥海上边界附近的水域，估计蕴藏着4.2万亿立方英尺的天然气。特立尼达和多巴哥迫切需要这种资源来为其液化天然气和石化工业提供燃料，而委内瑞拉则寻求通过出口建立新的收入来源。

In January 2023, the United States granted Trinidad and Tobago a two-year license to negotiate and develop the Dragon project, with Shell serving as the operator and state-owned companies PDVSA (Venezuela) and the National Gas Company (NGC) (Trinidad and Tobago) as participants. The U.S. amended the license in October 2023, extending its validity until October 2025 and allowing Venezuela to receive proceeds from gas sales in cash.

2023年1月，美国授予特立尼达和多巴哥为期两年的Dragon项目谈判和开发许可证，由壳牌担任运营商，国有公司PDVSA（委内瑞拉）和国家天然气公司（NGC）（特立尼达和多巴哥）多巴哥）作为参与者。美国于 2023 年 10 月修改了该许可证，将其有效期延长至 2025 年 10 月，并允许委内瑞拉以现金形式获得天然气销售收益。

Subsequently, in December 2023, the Venezuelan government approved the project through a 30-year license, granting Shell and NGC the rights to extract and export the gas to Trinidad and Tobago. The final investment decision (FID), which represents the last step in determining the project's feasibility and construction, is anticipated by Trinidad and Tobago in the coming year.

随后，2023年12月，委内瑞拉政府通过30年期许可证批准了该项目，授予壳牌和NGC开采天然气并将其出口到特立尼达和多巴哥的权利。特立尼达和多巴哥预计将在明年做出最终投资决定（FID），这是确定该项目可行性和建设的最后一步。

However, given the complexity and extended timeline of the Dragon project, the current U.S. license may expire before the FID is reached or initial gas production commences, prompting the need for a new authorization. Shell is therefore actively seeking a longer-term license from the U.S. government to allow for the FID and co-development of the field with NGC.

然而，考虑到 Dragon 项目的复杂性和较长的时间，当前的美国许可证可能会在最终投资决定达成或初始天然气生产开始之前到期，从而需要新的授权。因此，壳牌正在积极寻求美国政府的长期许可，以便进行最终投资决定并与 NGC 共同开发该油田。

Shell is reportedly proposing a 15-year license. Sources indicate that the company believes the U.S. will grant the license, if not immediately, due to the substantial investment of over $1 billion required for the project. A Shell spokesperson declined to comment, while other relevant entities, including PDVSA, NGC, Venezuela's oil ministry, and the U.S. Treasury Department, did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

据报道，壳牌提议颁发 15 年的许可证。消息人士称，由于该项目需要超过 10 亿美元的巨额投资，该公司相信美国即使不会立即颁发许可证，也会颁发许可证。壳牌发言人拒绝置评，而包括PDVSA、NGC、委内瑞拉石油部和美国财政部在内的其他相关实体也没有立即回应置评请求。

Trinidad and Tobago's Energy Minister, Stuart Young, has engaged in discussions with Venezuela and the U.S. on this issue. He recently met with U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Energy Resources Geoffrey Pyatt to address the need for an extended license, as the two-year window provided by the current license may not suffice for the project's completion.

特立尼达和多巴哥能源部长斯图尔特·杨已与委内瑞拉和美国就这一问题进行讨论。他最近会见了美国负责能源资源的助理国务卿杰弗里·皮亚特（Geoffrey Pyatt），讨论了延长许可证的需要，因为当前许可证提供的两年窗口可能不足以完成该项目。

Young emphasized the extended timeline involved in the transaction, underscoring the need for a license that accommodates the project's timeframe. Shell's Dragon project faces potential competition from another gas project in Trinidad and Tobago's waters, Manatee, which is also operated by Shell. It remains to be seen which project will secure the FID and be the first to supply gas to Trinidad and Tobago.

Young 强调了交易所涉及的延长的时间表，并强调需要有适应项目时间框架的许可证。壳牌的 Dragon 项目面临着特立尼达和多巴哥水域另一个天然气项目 Manatee 的潜在竞争，该项目也由壳牌运营。哪个项目将获得最终投资决定并成为第一个向特立尼达和多巴哥供应天然气的项目还有待观察。