Venezuela says driller Ensco agrees to cut costs

CARACAS, May 6 (Reuters) - Oil services company Ensco (ESV.N) has agreed to give Venezuela lower rates for drilling, Venezuela's energy minister said on Wednesday, months after the OPEC nation took over an Ensco rig in a payment dispute.

Energy Minister Rafael Ramirez said Venezuela had negotiated lower rates after costs spiked during last year's jump in crude prices, but did not say if state oil firm PDVSA resolved $36 million in debts that sparked the dispute with Ensco.

"We have held discussions with the drilling companies and we have reached agreements with a group of them ... Ensco is one," Ramirez told reporters. He did not offer details on the agreement.

In January, Ensco said PDVSA was temporarily operating the ENSCO 69 jackup drilling rig under supervision of Ensco personnel and that it was negotiating an agreement satisfactory to both companies.

Ensco is slated to provide drilling services to Chevron (CVX.N) as part of an offshore gas project in Venezuela.

PDVSA has built up massive debts with providers that have led to growing conflicts with service companies. U.S.-based driller Helmerich & Payne (HP.N) said in February that it began idling rigs because PDVSA owes it $100 million. (Reporting by Brian Ellsworth; Editing by Christian Wiessner)