Company: ZNOG
Filing Date: 2025-03-27
Form Type: 10-K
Source: 0001437749-25-009623
Chunk: 10

Company: ZION OIL & GAS INC
Filing Date: 2025-03-27
Form: 10-K
Item: Item 1
Chunk 10
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 on as a definitive restatement of the law related to petroleum exploration and production activities in Israel.

Petroleum resources are owned by the State of Israel, regardless of whether they are located on state lands or the offshore continental shelf. No person is allowed to explore for or produce petroleum without being granted a specific right under the Petroleum Law. Israeli law provides for three types of rights, two relevant to the exploration stage and the third for the production stage.

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Preliminary permit. The “preliminary permit” allows a prospector to conduct preliminary investigations, such as field geology, airborne magnetometer surveys and seismic data acquisition, but does not allow test drilling. It may be granted for a period not to exceed 18 months. The holder of a preliminary permit is entitled to request a priority right on the permit area, which, if granted, prevents an award of petroleum rights on the permit area to any other party. There are no restrictions as to size of the permit area or to the number of permits that may be held by one prospector. However, Israeli policy is to award an area no larger than that for which the applicant has a reasonable plan of operation and has shown evidence of the necessary financial resources to execute the plan.

License. The next level of petroleum right is the “license,” bestowing an exclusive right for further exploration work and requiring the drilling of one or more test wells. The initial term of a license is up to three years, and it may be extended for up to an additional four years (in one-year increments). In the event of a discovery, the license may be extended for an additional two years. A license area may not exceed 400,000 dunams (approximately 98,842 acres). One dunam is equal to 1,000 square meters (approximately 0.24711 of an acre). No one entity may hold more than 12 licenses or hold more than a total of four million dunam in aggregate license area.

Production lease. Upon discovery of petroleum in commercial quantities, a licensee has a statutory “right” to receive a production “lease.” The initial lease term is 30 years, extendable for an additional 20 years (up to a maximum period of 50 years). A lease confers upon the lessee the exclusive right to explore for and produce petroleum in the lease area and requires the lessee to produce petroleum in commercial quantities (and pursue test and development drilling). The lessee is entitled to transport and market the petroleum produced, subject