ExxonMobil has told Afghanistan’s Ministry of Mines, which supervises the country’s nascent oil industry, that it is interested in bidding on the right to explore for oil and gas in the country, according to a Dow Jones report.
According to Dow Jones, Exxon’s subsidiary Esso Exploration has submitted a filing expressing interest in the Afghan-Tajik Basin, where the government has delineated six blocks for oil and gas exploration.
The filing “is part of our ongoing evaluation of oil and gas resources around the world,” Exxon spokesman Alan Jeffers said, according to Dow Jones.
The filing will reportedly give Exxon access to seismic and well log data in and around the area that is being offered for bid in Northern Afghanistan, near the city of Mazari-Sharif, with bids for exploration will be accepted by the Ministry of Mines in late October.
China’s CNPC holds an exploration contract for oil and gas prospects at the Amu Darya basin, the first awarded in the country for several decades.
