ABU DHABI — Officials said Bahrain has been administering a tender with three Western firms to develop a
major oil field.
The officials said Bahrain plans to double crude oil output by 2011.
They said the Western companies have been selected as
finalists for the development of Bahrain Field. The Gulf Cooperation Council
state now produces 33,000 barrels of oil per day from Bahrain Field.
"Out of eight companies which submitted the initial bids for onland
exploration, we shortlisted three, U.S. firms ExxonMobil and Occidental and
Denmark-based Maersk," Bahraini Energy Minister Abdul Hussein Mirza said.
"These three will now submit the final bids and one of them will be selected
during the first quarter next year."
Mirza said the state-owned National Oil and Gas Authority would
establish a joint venture with the winner of the tender. He said the
contractor would assume development costs.
Occidental has already been
working in Bahrain's energy sector.