RE: SINOPEC - Petro Matad Farm Out Partnership7 Nov 2025 08:26
About Sinopec being the potential farm-in partner for Block XX, here’s a clear breakdown of the facts vs speculation.
✅ What’s confirmed by RNS:
MATD has been seeking a partner for Block XX throughout 2025.
March RNS: “discussions with three entities ongoing.”
July RNS: one counterparty is in the final stages of evaluation and MATD has provided a draft farm-out agreement.
August update: a draft Letter of Intent is circulating.
September interims: “detailed technical and commercial negotiations with one party.”
MATD still holds 100% working interest today, so nothing has been signed yet.
That is all publicly confirmed.
✅ Why Sinopec is being talked about:
Back in 2017, MATD worked with Sinopec Mongolia LLC on a rig contract for drilling operations. This was a contractor relationship, not a JV — but it established prior operational interaction between the companies. That’s why Sinopec often comes up in speculation: they’re a major Chinese operator active across northern China’s basins that extend geologically toward Mongolia, and they’ve physically been involved with MATD before (rig provision).
❗ But this is not confirmation of a Block XX farm-in.
There is no RNS, no Mongolian government notice, and no formal document naming Sinopec as the counterparty currently in negotiation.
✅ What the partner signals actually tell us:
There is a genuine partner process underway.
It has progressed from general talks → multiple parties → one advanced counterparty with draft agreements exchanged.
This is more advanced than most AIM “we’re talking to partners” fluff — it’s real.
✅ What it doesn’t tell us:
Who the partner is.
Whether it’s Sinopec, CNPC, PetroChina, an Indian group, or someone else.
Whether terms are agreed or still being hammered out.
✅ The sensible interpretation:
Sinopec is being mentioned because of past collaboration in 2017, but that’s just plausible speculation, not confirmation. The real takeaway is that a partner is close enough to have:
a draft farm-out agreement, and
a draft LOI circulating.
Until an RNS names the counterparty, this remains at the “advanced negotiations” stage — positive progress, but not complete.