Mozambique Oil & Gas: Oil, Gas Bid Round delayed until July 30

MAPUTO, April 16 (Reuters) – Mozambique’s fifth oil and gas bid round will close on July 30, delayed from its previous April 30 deadline, the government said on Thursday, without giving a reason.

The 15 exploration blocks on offer include three new areas of the northern Rovuma Basin, where U.S. oil major Anadarko Petroleum and Italy’s Eni are developing multi-billion-dollar liquefied natural gas (LNG) export projects.

The latest bid round has been delayed several times. The southern African country hopes to harness its vast natural gas reserves to become the world’s third-largest LNG exporter, behind Qatar and Australia. (Reporting by Manuel Mucari; Writing by Joe Brock; Editing by James Macharia)