Canadian investment in Mongolia
Betrayal of Energy resource from national interests
Ivanhoe Energy subsidiary to merge with PanAsian Petroleum Inc in Mongolia
"I love this deal, we love Mongolia," said Robert Friedland, president and CEO of Ivanhoe Energy in a conference call to investors Thursday.
"Mongolia is ripe for exploration and production investment for oil and gas."
The Vancouver-based heavy-oil company announced Wednesday its Asian-focused subsidiary Sunwing Energy Ltd. is set to merge with Alberta-based PanAsian Petroleum Inc. in an all-stock deal for light oil exploration in Mongolia. The deal, expected to close in the next few weeks, involves the issuance of up to three million Ivanhoe shares worth about $7.9 million, but no payment of cash to PanAsian's principals. PanAsian will keep its corporate structure and its contractual relationship with the petroleum authority of Mongolia will not be altered by the merger.
Ivanhoe said a key strategy for the upcoming year is growing its Sunwing operation, with the aim of trading the company on a public listing of a major Asian stock exchange.
Friedland, who is also executive chairman of Ivanhoe Mines (TSX:IVN), which is developing the massive Oyu Tolgoi copper project in Mongolia, said there is a race to inject foreign investment in the country, with many countries competing for a piece of the vast and resource rich land.
PetroChina, China's major oil producer has allocated a $500,000 million budget to drill in Mongolia in 2010, which underscores the importance of market, Friedland said. There have been multiple recent light oil discoveries in China, Friedland said, as well as discoveries on the southern border with Mongolia and two discoveries in Eastern Mongolia, just south of block 16, which the company will acquire.
The company believes that block is the jewel of central Mongolia's oil resources. At 16,000 square kilometres, it is roughly the size of Kuwait, and possesses geological similarities to the basins to the south and east, where oil discoveries have been made.
Friedland said he hopes the deal will help to generate similar levels of wealth in oil and gas as his companies have achieved in coal, gold and copper exploration in the rapidly-developing country.
Ivanhoe Mines is the largest foreign investor in the country, he added. Ivanhoe Mines recently signed a long-awaited deal with Mongolia to develop the Oyu Tolgoi projected after a heated national debate over how to exploit the country's mineral wealth. The agreement on the gold and copper mine in the Gobi desert was renegotiated repeatedly after opponents complained it shortchanged Mongolia, which lies wedged between Russia and China and has long been wary of foreign domination.
Ivanhoe Mines also has an 80 per cent stake in SouthGobi Energy Resources Ltd. (TSXV:SGQ), focused on exploring and developing metallurgical and thermal coal deposits in Mongolia and Indonesia.
With those operations underway, Friedland said the country will experience dramatic growth and increased demands for oil from the mining industry. Friedland added that the country desperately needs roads and highways, suggesting the company could get into the asphalt business as well.
"That alone could be a very attractive business, and heavy oil has already been identified on the block...and of course the mining industry is going to need a lot of hydrocarbon so we could put up a refinery."
Shares in Ivanhoe Energy closed down 2.5 per cent or seven cents to $2.67 on the Toronto Stock Exchange Thursday.
Mining wealth to be shared by all Mongolians
At its plenary meeting on November 13, 2009 Parliament approved a law aimed at fulfilling the Mongolian People Revolutionary Party and Democratic Party election manifesto promise to allocate mineral deposit exploitation profits to all the country’s citizens. During the Parliamentary Elections, the MPRP promised to distribute 1.5million tog to each citizen while DP promised 1million tog. This year, the Government drew up a Bill for the “Favor of Motherland” and these have been submitted to Parliament. In the process of discussing these Bills at Parliament, it was considered necessary to combine the two Bills and the two parties therefore each set up a relevant working group for negotiations. At last, a new Bill, namely, “Human Development Fund”, as a combination of the two Bills was approved by parliament.
This new law stipulates distributing 1,5million togs to every citizen as a state and favor from mining profits and, from the year after distribution, the fund’s money is to be deposited into domestic and international financial market savings faculties so as to gain profits and annually distribute dividends from these earnings. Law, not just about giving money to citizens, but about creating a legal environment to distribute shares from mineral resource profits. The Human Development Fund will be financed by State owned share dividends from strategically important mineral resources; income from share sales; advance payments and a portion of companies’ royalties paid into the state budget. The Fund’s asset income will increase considerably between 2016 and 2017. The Law stipulates that a company specially licensed for nationwide operations will co-own the state’s shares in entities legally exploiting strategically important deposits and every Mongolian is to be privileged shareholders in that company.
Manufacture of uranium may be affected by depression

From Mongolian national commercial-industrial hall, Ministry of Mineral and Energy, and Mongolian mining association organized the assembly on 23th of November. S.Batbold, Prime Minister, participated in this assembly to represent his position about this issue. He emphasized to correct mistakes of mining industry and gave an obligation to Oyu-tolgoi project workgroup.
Also, D.Zorigt, Minister of Ministry Mineral and Energy gave information about mineral resources, mining in Mongolia.
Discussion about depression of uranium was the second issue of this assembly. according to their discussion, uranium is not develop, just going down. They criticized law about atomic energy and being two cadastres.
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