Iran is readying
its first round of oil and gas exploration tenders since the easing of
economic sanctions, hoping to attract the likes of BP and Gazprom, an
Iranian energy official said on Monday.
Sitting
on some of the world's biggest energy reserves, Iran has already been
working on deals to develop existing fields such as South Pars, South
Azadegan, Yadavaran, West Karoon, Mansuri and Abe-Timur.
France's
Total last week became the first major to sign a post-sanctions
development deal with Iran. Russia's Lukoil and Denmark's Maersk are
also potential investors.
Next
on the horizon is the search for new oil, with the state national oil
company (NIOC) planning to tender 14 oil and gas blocks for exploration
in the next two to three months, NIOC's deputy director for exploration
blocks, Rahim Nematollahi, said on the sidelines of an energy industry
conference in Istanbul.
Most
of the new exploration blocks are in the Zagros, Koppet Dagh and the
Middle Eastern Gulf region and would require minimum exploration
expenditure of between 14 million euros ($16 million) and 80 million
euros.
The biggest
exploration expenses are expected for blocks Parsa and Bamdad in the
Gulf, amounting to 80 million euros and 75 million euros respectively.
Nematollahi
also said that BP, Austria's OMV, Gazprom, Lukoil as well as Italy's
Edison and Malaysia's Petronas have expressed interest in new
exploration blocks.
