RIO DE JANEIRO, Dec 2 (Reuters) - Royal Dutch Shell Plc expects to sign an agreement to join up, or unitize,its Parque das Conchas offshore fields Brazil's Campos Basinwith an area owned by Brazil's government by early next year,the local-unit president said on Wednesday.
Part of the oil and gas resources in Parque das Conchasextend into an un-leased area of Brazil's Subsalt Polygon, anarea under government administration, and under Brazilian lawthe resource must be developed jointly by Shell, its partnersIndia's ONGC and Qatar Petroleum, and the government.
Andre Araujo, president of Shell in Brazil, said he hopesBrazil's oil regulator ANP will approve the unitization beforethe first oil output from the third phase of the Parque dasConchas development is planned to begin in March. (Reporting by Marta Nogueira, writing by Jeb Blount)