25 January 2011

Dundee energy expert advises Duke on controversial agreements

The expertise in global energy issues at the University of Dundee's Centre for Energy, Petroleum and Mineral Law and Policy has been tapped into by the Duke of York, the UK's Special Representative for International Trade and Investment.

Professor Peter Cameron, Director of CEPMLP, was invited to give the Duke a personal briefing on production sharing agreements, which are a commonplace arrangement between sovereign states and mineral extraction companies. But they have also been a source of serious dispute in North Africa, Russia and Kazakhstan.

CEPMLP is one of the world's leading centres dealing in law and policy around energy production and mineral extraction. It was set up when North Sea oil was at its height and has used this North Sea expertise to advise governments and oil companies all over the world, including Kazakhstan, Iraq, Ghana and Algeria.

Professor Cameron said, 'There are many misconceptions about these contracts. Often the only difference between them is the label which a Government chooses to put on them for domestic political reasons. But passions about the labels in many parts of the world can be explosive.

'We are delighted to be invited to respond to the DoY's questions about these matters.'

Professor Cameron met the Duke at the UK Trade and Investment offices in Glasgow.

CEPMLP is an internationally-renowned, inter-disciplinary centre for post-graduate teaching and research in the energy and mineral sectors. It attracts more than 200 students each year from around the world to its Masters and Doctorate degree programmes, and carries out research in key areas of international concern relating to energy and mineral law, economics and policy. Currently, it is conducting a major research project on resource company-government relations for the World Bank.

CEPMLP also provides executive education, professional development courses and consultancy services in these areas.

Together with the UNESCO IHP-HELP Centre for Water Law, Policy and Science and the Centre for Enterprise Management, CEPMLP forms the University of Dundee’s Graduate School of Natural Resources Law, Policy and Management.

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