Egypt announced on Thursday the start of a bid round for exploration and exploitation of oil and natural gas in 24 blocks.
The round, which concludes on Aug. 1, includes nine blocks in the Mediterranean Sea, 12 in the Western Desert and three in the Gulf of Suez, an oil ministry source told Reuters.
Egypt’s gas production has boomed since Italy’s Eni discovered the giant Zohr field off Egypt’s Mediterranean coast in 2015.