Jordan Closes Bidding Round For Oil Exploration Blocks

Published: 02-Jul-2009

By: Staff Writer Staff Writer Staff Writer

Jordan’s Natural Resources Authority (NRA) said the closing date for submission of bids for oil exploration blocks by international and regional companies in the northern and central regions of the Kingdom ends on July 2, 2009, The Jordan Times reported. May 31, 2009 was initially planned as the cut-off date for the tenders. Later, it was extended to July 2, 2009 because of requests from some international firms which have shown interest in bidding for the blocks.

“In the oil business, these companies needed three to four months to study and evaluate [the blocks] before deciding to submit or not. We will see which ones actually submit [on Thursday],” NRA Director, Maher Hijazin told The Jordan Times.

The two blocks included the bidding round are the Northern Highlands, a 7,454-square-kilometre region along the country’s northern border with Syria, and Al Jafr block in the central region, a 19,156 square-kilometer plot east of the Jordan River.

During 1959 and 1991, NRA, along with the Pauly and Total S.A, has drilled seven exploration wells in the Northern Highlands block, while Hunt Oil Company has drilled two wells in Al Jafr region in 1989. The companies did not yield productive oil discoveries.

PETREL is presently drilling in the eastern Safawi block and Global Petroleum Limited in the western Safawi block in the northeast of the nation, Sonoran in the Azraq block, Universal Energy Corp. in the Sirhan block to the southeast, and the Dead Sea block, presently being explored by Porosity Ltd.