April 2 , 2006 (Addis Ababa) —A total of 19 foreign firms have submitted letters of interest to Ethiopian government for an international bid for the development of the Calub and Hilala gas fields in the eastern Somali state, according to local reports Saturday.

Petronas, the Malaysian oil company, which has taken four oil exploration licenses in Ethiopia, is one of the companies that submitted a letter of interest.

Since 2004, Petronas has been prospecting for crude oil in the Gambella basin, west Ethiopia. The Zhongyuan Petroleum Exploration Bureau (ZPEB), a Chinese company contracted by Petronas, last month started drilling the first exploration well in Gambella basin, near the Sudanese border.

Petronas will soon start undertaking geophysical survey in the three blocks in the Ogaden basin near the Somali border.

In mid March, the country's Ministry of Mines and Energy put up a notice, inviting legally registered companies to present expression of interest.

The ministry said companies having the technical and financial capacity required to develop the gas fields could submit their letters of interest until Thursday.

According to reliable sources, in addition to Petronas, other international companies have submitted letters of interest to the ministry. Chinese, Indian, Russan and Middle Eastern companies figure among the 19 interested parties in the gas fields.

The sources said a committee comprising senior experts of the ministry will evaluate the registration certificates and company profiles of the 19 companies and will shortlist potential investors for the international bid for the gas fields.

The committee will soon finalize the evaluation and the ministry will put up the tender, said the sources.

Source: Xinhua