Angkor Resources Corp. announced that its Cambodian energy subsidiary, EnerCam Resources Co., Ltd., has sent the terms of its comprehensive drilling contractor tender to Cambodia's Ministry of Mines and Energy for review. Once the ministry approves the terms, the tender will be made public so drilling companies can bid to drill exploratory wells on Block VIII, the company said in a release carried by NEWMEDIAWIRE.
The move matters because Block VIII would host Cambodia's first onshore oil and gas wells, and the tender defines what a contractor must deliver to make that happen. It covers the full scope of work, from importing the rig and equipment into the country through to testing each well. The submission follows the Ministry of Environment's approval of EnerCam's Environmental Impact Assessment to drill on all four sub-basins, announced September 30, 2026.
The 89-page tender sets out a five-well sequence: one exploration well in each of the South Bokor, Central Bokor, North Bokor and Kirirom sub-basins, drilled in an order set by EnerCam's technical team, with a fifth well located based on the results of the first four. Wells are to reach depths of up to 3,300 meters, targeting at least two potential pay zones at the three Bokor sub-basins, including fractured Permian carbonates below the Indosinian 1 unconformity. Each well indicating hydrocarbons is designed for a full production configuration, flow-tested for four weeks and then shut in for a 12-week pressure build-up, so testing gives a definitive answer on reservoir commerciality. The tender also requires compliance with the approved EIA, including protection of local communities, water and land, handling of drilling fluids and site restoration if a well is not productive.
Mike Weeks, President of EnerCam, said the tender puts on paper everything the first wells in Cambodia need to deliver, including equipment, drilling, testing and community protection, adding that due diligence on contractors is already complete so selection can move quickly once the ministry reviews the terms.
EnerCam has already vetted multiple potential contractors. During 2026 the team made two visits to China to meet three potential drilling service providers and hosted site visits to Block VIII by two potential contractors to assess roads, bridges and drill sites against the equipment required. Contractors are selected through a tendered bid approved by the ministry and then published in various media outlets. EnerCam is targeting bid selection in early 2027, and mobilizing equipment to the sites takes about three months once a contractor is chosen.
The program also sets a precedent for how onshore wells are permitted, contracted and drilled in Cambodia. EnerCam's drilling manager, John Koch, and other team members have designed and built oil and gas drill programs and drill sites in over 60 countries. The company has completed 350 line-kilometers of 2D seismic and defined drill targets across the four sub-basins. Block VIII covers approximately 4,095 square kilometers in southwest Cambodia under a 30-year Production Sharing Contract with the Royal Government of Cambodia. As Cambodia imports 100% of its hydrocarbon-based energy products, a domestic supply of oil and gas remains a high priority. The original release is available at www.newmediawire.com, and company information is posted at resources.com.
