27-07-09 Confirmed by the North African country's energy agency, Algeria will launch its second round of tenders for the exploration and development of 12 oil and gas fields.
The National Agency for Valorisation of Hydrocarbon Resources said that the licensing round follows the success of last year's tender, which ended December 2008. In this last round, however, 11 licenses did not receive bids amid the unravelling of the global economy and plunging oil prices. Winners in last year's licensing round were E.ON, Gazprom, BG Group and ENI.

Algeria, a member of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), pumped an estimated 1.42 mm bpd of crude oil in 2008.