The Oman government will award two oil blocks to international firms for exploration in Southern Oman this year, which is part of five blocks tendered last year. The Ministry of Oil and Gas is on the verge of finalising negotiations with foreign companies, said a senior official of the Ministry of Oil and Gas, on the sidelines of the International Unconventional Gas Conference and Exhibition in Oman, according to the Times of Oman.
“We continuously offer open blocks to the market,” said Salim bin Nasser Al Aufi, undersecretary at the Ministry of Oil and Gas told Times of Oman.
Oman government last month signed one each production sharing agreement with Total Exploration and Production Oman Petroleum B V and Petrogas Kahil for developing an offshore oil block in northern coast and an onshore block in Al Wusta region, respectively.
The first agreement with Total was for developing offshore block 41 spread in a large 23,850 square kilometre area off northern coast, while pact with Petrogas was for onshore block 55, spread in an area of 7,564 square kilometres.
David Dalton, Middle East Regional president of BP, said that the British oil company has already started procurement for developing the Khazzan tight gas field in north-central Oman with an envisaged investment of $16 billion. The Oman government and the British company signed a gas sales and production sharing agreement last month.
