Spanish
The analysis of the geological potential and the strengthening of the Dominican legal and regulatory framework marked the central axis of the First Hydrocarbon Exploration and Exploitation Forum, organized by the Ministry of Energy and Mines, where national and international specialists discussed the future of oil exploration in the Dominican Republic.
The activity was led by Minister Joel Santos and coordinated by the Vice Ministry of Hydrocarbons, as part of the technical agenda prior to the launch of the Second Oil Round 2026-2028, which is scheduled to begin in November of this year.
One of the central spaces of the forum was the panel “Exploration of Hydrocarbons in the Dominican Republic: Geological Potential and New Frontiers”, in which the Vice Minister of Hydrocarbons, Noel Báez Paredes; the international geologist César Lugo; the director of the National Geological Service, Edwin Rafael García Cocco and the president of The Leading Light in Energy, Carlos Moreno, participated.
During the exchange, the current state of geological and geophysical knowledge of the Dominican territory was addressed, the role of the State in the generation, administration, and access to technical information, as well as the lessons learned from the seismic, gravimetric, and magnetic studies carried out in different sedimentary basins.
The panelists agreed on the identification of new exploratory areas in the Caribbean and on the need to attract responsible investment that allows verifying the functioning of the national oil system, under technical, environmental, and sustainability criteria.
Previously, Lugo gave the keynote lecture "Exploration of Hydrocarbons in the Dominican Republic: present, challenges and opportunities", in which he explained the methodologies applied to the geochemical study of the four sedimentary basins identified in the country, as well as the main technical challenges associated with their eventual development.
Legal framework, legal certainty, and social license
The second panel, titled "Legal and Regulatory Framework for Hydrocarbons in the Dominican Republic and Challenges for Exploration and Exploitation," focused the debate on regulatory updates and institutional challenges in the sector.
In that space participated the director of Regulation, Import and Use of Hydrocarbons, Wandy Tejada; the economist Henri Hebrard; the deputy minister of attention and collaboration to the justice system of the Ministry of Justice, Pedro Montilla and the lawyer expert in mining, energy and hydrocarbons, Alberto Reyes.
Experts analyzed the evolution of the Dominican legal framework, the importance of strengthening legal security to attract investment, the environmental and social challenges associated with oil exploration, as well as the need to consolidate the social license and improve the country's competitiveness compared to other emerging markets.
In the activity also participated the president of the Board of Directors of Refinería Dominicana de Petróleo, Samuel Pereyra; the Vice Minister of Innovation and Energy Transition, Betty Soto; the Vice Minister of Nuclear Energy, Gaddis Corporán; the general manager of the SENI Coordinating Body, Manuel López San Pablo; the general director of Mining, Rolando Muñoz, as well as representatives of public institutions and the private sector linked to the energy industry.
