Public Notice on Request for Submission of Statements of Intent to Participate "FY 2026 Sand Control Study for Development of Methane Hydrate"

Call for Expression of Interest – Confirmation of Intention to Participate March 30, 2026 MORI Hiroyuki Executive Vice President Energy Business Unit Japan Organization for Metals and Energy Security Japan Organization for Metals and Energy Security (hereinafter referred as “JOGMEC”) invites expression of interest for “Sand control study for development of methane hydrate” (“Study”). A potential applicant (hereinafter referred to as “Applicant”) who wishes to respond to this Expression of Interest (hereinafter referred to as “EoI”) is requested to submit a document in accordance with the following instructions. If you are interested in this invitation, your documents must be in accordance with the following instructions. If, as a result of this public invitation, only one applicant is deemed to meet the eligibility requirements, JOGMEC intends to proceed with the contracting procedures with that applicant. If multiple applicants are deemed to meet the eligibility requirements, JOGMEC intends to proceed with a competitive proposal process. 1. Title of Study Sand control study for development of methane hydrate 2. Scope of Study Refer to Appendix 1 “Study Specifications”. 3. Required Conditions for Applicants The Applicant should satisfy all the following conditions. (1) Basic requirements A) The Applicant must have the management capabilities necessary to conduct this work smoothly and possess sufficient financial management capabilities. B) The Applicant shall not fall under the Article 3 of “Public announcement on the qualifications for participating in the tendering procedures by JOGMEC. C) The Applicant shall not be currently under an administrative order of suspension from participating in tenders by any of the governmental organization. D) If the applicant is registered in Japan, your organization must have governmental qualifications; A, B or C rank in “Service” of Reiwa 07/08/09 FY (FY2025, 2026 and 2027) “Zenshocho Toitsu Shikaku”. (2) Technical requirements A) The Applicant must have experience in experimentally evaluating the sand control device used before and after methane hydrate reservoir to extended-duration gas production on the Alaska North Slope. - B) Experience in conducting experiments related to upstream oil and gas industry, including sand control. C) Understanding of methane hydrate (3) Subcontracting and outsourcing requirementsA) The Contractor shall not subcontract or outsource (irrespective of the form of contract, including subcontrscting or any other form of entrustment; hereinafter collectively referred to as “Subcontracting etc.”) the primary planning and drafting, or management of performance of core part of the Study. (this condition must also be imposed on all subcontractors, sub-subcontractors, and any lower-tier contractors (hereinafter, collectively referred to as “Subcontractors etc.”)) B) If the Contractor subcontracts any part of the Study, the Contractor agrees that procurement based solely on the fact that the subcontractor is a group company* will not be permitted as a selection criterion. (this condition must also be imposed on Subcontractors etc.) C) If the Contractor subcontracts any part of the Study and the ratio of subcontracting or outsourcing costs (including consumption tax and local consumption tax) to the total contract amount (including consumption tax and local consumption tax) exceeds 50 percent, the Contractor shall attach and submit to the EoI a written statement clearly describing the grounds for such subcontracting. (this condition must also be imposed on Subcontractots etc.) D) The Study is a part of the Methane-Hydrate Research and Development Project, which is conducted by Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (hereinafter, referred to as “METI”), that METI instructs JOGMEC to perform the project on behalf of METI, under the contract between METI and JOGMEC. Pursuant to the Contract between Contractor and JOGMEC, after completion of the Study, JOGMEC will, in principle, conduct on-site inspections, etc, based on the performance report submitted, and determine the payable amount. For on-site inspections, all accounting records and supporting documents such as receipts clarifying every expense are required. Expenses not recognized as necessary for the Study may be excluded from the payable amount after strict review. Furthermore, pursuant to the contract between METI and JOGMEC, METI may conduct similar on-site inspections, etc, not only on the Contractor but also on Subcontractors etc. The Contractor and Subcontractors etc. must agree to such inspections. Likewise, JOGMEC may conduct on-site inspections, etc. on Subcontractors etc. which they must similarly agree to. E) Pursuant to the contract between METI and JOGMEC, METI shall publish on its website, at the time of contract execution and after project completion, an organizational performance structure chart (covering all contractors and Subcontractors etc. with contract amounts of 1 millio