AMMAN -- The government on Saturday offered two blocks in the Kingdom's northeastern region for oil and gas exploration, according to the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources.
The ministry said on its website that it opened the door for companies to submit bids for tenders it floated to explore gas and oil in the Sarhan and Azraq blocks in Mafraq Governorate, 80km northeast of Amman.
The deadline for interested firms to submit bids is October 20, according to the ministry.
Exploring for oil and gas will be based on the model of production- sharing agreements between the government and the bidding companies, it added.
Jordan, which imports about 96 per cent of its energy needs annually, terminated a production-sharing agreement in mid-2013 with Sonoran Energy to explore for oil in Azraq as the Indian company did not commit to the agreement's articles.
The Cabinet also cancelled an agreement with Universal Energy Limited Company of India to explore and produce oil in Sarhan as the firm did not commit to the working programme under the deal.
In a recent interview with The Jordan Times, Energy Minister Mohammad Hamed said the National Petroleum Company will continue to explore for gas in Al Risha field after British Petroleum ended its oil drilling operation in Jordan early this year due to unsatisfactory results.
In mid-2013, the Cabinet formed a committee to promote oil exploration in the southern region.
The committee is part of the government's efforts to open and market areas for potential oil exploration, especially due to the unprecedented hike in oil prices.
© Jordan Times 2014
