Libya chooses 47 firms to compete in oil round http://today.reuters.com/news/articleinvesting.aspx?view=CN&storyID=2006-10-01T085212Z_01_L01794080_RTRIDST_0_ENERGY-LIBYA.XML&rpc=66&type=qcna
Sun Oct 1, 2006
TRIPOLI, Oct 1 (Reuters) - Libya has qualified 47 companies to compete for acreage in its third oil and gas licensing round since the lifting of sanctions, state-owned National Oil Corp. said.
NOC, in a statement on its Web site (www.noclibya.com.ly), said 70 applications had been received from oil companies worldwide interested in possible exploration and production sharing agreements.
Libya wants to attract foreign investment to help it increase its oil output capacity to more than 3.0 million barrels (bpd) per day by 2010/12 from about 1.6 million bpd at present.
Libya's latest oil offering, the third since the lifting of U.S. sanctions in 2004, lists 12 offshore blocks and 29 onshore areas. A first round offered 57 blocks, the second 44.
Results of the round will be announced on Dec 20.
The NOC says less than a third of Libya, Africa's fourth largest country, has been explored for hydrocarbons. Its estimated reserves of 37 billion barrels so far have put it among the top 10 oil reserves owners.
NOC listed the qualified companies as follows.
1 ExxonMobil Libya Limited
2 BP Exploration Operating Company Limited
3 Sonatrach
4 Petrobras
5 Shell Exploration and Develoment Libya GmbH
6 Chevron Inter'l Expl& Prod Co.
7 Total E&P Libye
8 Conoco Libya Ltd.
9 Eni North Africa
10 Tatneft Open Joint Stock Company
11 ONGC Idesh Limited
12 Statoil Libya AS
13 Repsol Exploracion Murzoq S.A (REMSA)
14 SINOPEC 15 OXY Libya, LLC
16 Maersk Olie Og Gas AS
17 Norsk-Hydro ASA
18 Lukoil Overseas Holding Ltd.
19 CNPC Inter'l Ltd. Libya Branch
20 BG International Limited
21 Oil India
22 Talisman Energy
23 Marathon Inter'l Petroleum Libya Ltd
24 Oil Search (Libya) Limited
25 RWE Dea
26 Amerada Hess Libya Limited
27 Petro-Canada Ventures (N.A.)
28 Pioneer Natural Resources Libya Ltd
29 PTT Exploration and Production Public Co. Ltd
30 Woodside Energy (N.A) Ltd
31 Wintershall Libyen Oil & Gas GmbH
32 Nippon Oil Exploration Limited
33 Santos Ltd
34 Ukranaft Joint Stock Company
35 Inpex Corporation
36 INA Industrija Nafte, d.d
37 Gaz de France
38 PT. Medco Energi International, Tbk
39 Chinese Petroleum Corp.
40 Japan Petroleum Exploration Co. Ltd.
41 Gazprom Joint Stock Company
42 Oil & Gas Development Company Ltd.
43 Mitsubishi Corporation
44 Itochu Corporation
45 Polskie Gornictwo Naftowe
NOC listed the qualifed consortiums as follows
1. OMV Petroleum Expl. Gmbh (Operator)
2. Moeco (Investor)
© Reuters 2006. All Rights Reserved.