EnerCam Resources Co., Ltd., the Cambodian energy subsidiary of Angkor Resources Corp., has moved a step closer to drilling Cambodia's first onshore oil and gas wells after presenting its proposed 2027 work program for Block VIII to the Royal Government of Cambodia. The presentation took place at a Joint Review Committee meeting on October 6, 2026, at the Ministry of Mines and Energy in Phnom Penh, according to a company announcement carried by NEWMEDIAWIRE.
Under the Production Sharing Contract for Block VIII, the Joint Review Committee meets twice a year to review progress. EnerCam's team delivered technical, administrative and logistics presentations covering geology, geophysics, drilling, the Environmental Impact Assessment and corporate social responsibility programs, along with the proposed 2027 budget. The 2027 program, which covers Exploration Stage 1 – Year 3 from January 1 to December 31, 2027, targets the start of exploration drilling, with North Bokor planned as the first well.
The significance for Cambodia is considerable. The country imports 100% of its hydrocarbon-based energy products, so discovering a domestic supply of oil and gas remains a high priority. EnerCam's license covers approximately 4,095 square kilometers in the southwest quadrant of Cambodia. The company completed 2D seismic in 2025 and has identified multiple drill targets with multiple target zones. Success at North Bokor – which has the largest of the three mapped Bokor closures at a mean area of 100 square kilometers – would mark the first privately financed onshore exploratory oil and gas wells under a Production Sharing Contract in the country.
Mike Weeks, President of EnerCam, said the feedback from the Ministry was positive and that the questions were the right ones for a project getting close to the drill bit. "We're now updating the 2027 budget and the 2026 actuals, so the Ministry has the full picture as we move to the tender and to drilling Cambodia's first onshore wells," Weeks said. EnerCam is now updating its 2027 budget and its 2026 budget-to-actual comparison for the Ministry of Mines and Energy.
Three approvals were received in 2026: the CSR Program, approved by the Ministry of Mines and Energy on May 13; the Health, Safety and Environment Manual, approved on August 24; and the drilling EIA, approved by the Ministry of Environment on September 15. The 2026 work presented to the committee included analysis of oil seep samples consistent with a thermogenic source, field studies with students at the Institute of Technology of Cambodia that identified quartz arenite sandstones at surface with 13–14% porosity, and completion of the engineering design for drilling, completion, stimulation and testing of exploration wells. Each well is designed to be completed in a full production configuration, flow-tested for four weeks, and then shut in for a 12-week pressure build-up to yield a definitive answer on reservoir commerciality.
The 2027 schedule includes preparation of the drilling tender document, bid selection in early 2027, drill pad construction and rig mobilization, and drilling of the North Bokor well followed by a second well. The company also plans a field program of seep and source-rock sampling and processing of additional seismic data over the South and Central Bokor locations. Angkor Resources, listed on the TSX Venture Exchange, maintains its website at resources.com.
For investors and industry observers, the announcement signals that a frontier onshore exploration play in Southeast Asia is approaching the drilling stage, a phase where technical promise meets execution and financing risk. For Cambodia, a discovery would not only reduce reliance on imported hydrocarbons but could also catalyze further investment in domestic energy infrastructure. The company said it will continue providing updates on the drilling tender, drilling contractors and well-planning progress at regular intervals.
