DUBAI- Abu Dhabi National Oil Co (ADNOC) will announce new partners for its Ghasha sour gas concession in coming weeks, the United Arab Emirates state oil giant said on Monday.

The company last week signed a deal with Eni, awarding the Italian company a 25 percent stake in the offshore project.

ADNOC, in a statement, said the announcement would centre on the opening of six oil and gas blocks for competitive bidding.

The first exploration and production licenses for the six blocks are expected to be awarded in the first quarter of 2019, the statement said.

(Reporting by Hadeel Al Sayegh; Editing by Dale Hudson) ((Hadeel.AlSayegh@thomsonreuters.com; +971566883310;))