Egypt awards oil and gas exploration blocks to Eni, BP, QatarEnergy, Zarubezhneft 

CAIRO: Egypt awarded on Tuesday four blocks in an oil and gas exploration bid round for concessions in the Mediterranean and Nile Delta to Italy’s Eni, BP, QatarEnergy, and Russia's Zarubezhneft, the petroleum ministry said. 

Eni would take two blocks by itself and a third in a coalition with BP and QatarEnergy, while Zarubezhneft was also awarded a block. 

This comes after Egypt’s petroleum ministry launched an international bidding round on Monday for exploration in 23 open blocks, with the offer deadline set for Feb. 25, according to Reuters. 

The round includes 10 areas in Egypt’s Western Desert, two in the Eastern Desert, seven in the Gulf of Suez and four in the Red Sea, the ministry said. 

Egypt, the most populous Arab country, has sought to position itself as a regional energy hub.