At least 19 companies have shown interest to explore for natural gas in Bahrain's offshore fields, Manama-based Al Waqt daily reports Monday citing Abdulhussein Mirza, the country's Oil and Gas Affairs Minister.
These companies will be invited to submit their bids this month and the winner of the exploration deal will bear all the expenses, Mirza told research firm Oxford Business Group in an interview, the paper reports.
In case commercial quantities are discovered the government will sign a production sharing agreement with the winning company, he added