30 companies eye 14 new exploration blocks

About 30 local and foreign companies have taken 54 bidding documents for 14 new exploration blocks that are currently being offered by the government, a government official said Tuesday.

They are ConocoPhillips, Chevron, Husky Energy, Marathon Energy, Amerada Hess of the U.S., Royal Dutch-Shell, Santos of Australia, Malaysian Genting Oil and several local companies, said Director General of Oil and Gas Exploration and Production at the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources Novian M. Thaib.

Novian however refused to provide the details.

Last month, the government officially opened the tenders for contracts to explore and develop 27 oil and gas blocks across the country. The blocks include 14 blocks being offered through the regular tender system and 13 blocks being directly offered to investors.

For the 14 blocks being offered through regular tender system, the bid deadline date is November 10, 2005, while a due date of July 15, 2005 has been set for the bid for 13 blocks being directly offered to investors.

The successful bidders are to be announced three weeks after bid submission. (godang)