Desarrollo energético en América Latina y la economía mundial

Efraln Friedmann I WORLD BANK LENDING FOR HYDROCARBONS: A ... e} Set ud negotiating teams, usualIy including foreign experts, to assist the Government in preparing tenders, evaluating offers from oH companies, negotiating petroleum exploration and development agreements and monitor their appropriate execution. Operations of this type have been denominated technical assistance or engineering loans for predevelopment activities (or exploration promotion activities) . The aboye approach is expected to le:ad to competitive bidding for LDC petroleum acreage. It seems to be one of the bets ways to deal with the higMy subjective question of which are the "best" or the "fairer" terms a host Government can obtain from the indu5try. Ex. perience in the developed world as well as in many of the more sophis– ticated LDCS show that competition in the aboye manner with proper safeguards regarding minimum work requeriments is a good way of dealing with the problem. 4) Exploratory Drilling. The Bank is willing to help and advise member governments and foreign oil companies in concluding agree– ments for petroleum exploration and production; and to confirm its willingness to finance the eventual production facilities, provided the project meets its usual critería. One such arrangement has !already been concluded and others are under consideration. The Bank would consider making loans (credits) 3 to OlDC member governments to cover the latter's share of exploratíon costs undertaken in association with a foreign company. In countries where foreign companies :are unwilling to invest capital in petroleum exploration, the Bank would make a loan or credit to cover the costs of exploration done by an exploration company under a servÍce contracto Exploration loans would be for 10 years, with a suitable grace period, and would be re-financed from a subsequent loan extended to the normal limit for the country. A similar arrangement would be made for exploration credits. Current Status. The aboye is an outline of our lending policies. To implement them the Bank set up a petroleum lending division which currently consists ~Credits are highly concessionary loans, 50 years. no interest, made to the lower income development countries through a branch of the World Bank called IDA. 165