Pakistan Awards Oil and Gas Exploration License

On Tuesday, Pakistan granted an oil and gas exploration license to a joint venture of a local firm and Kuwait Energy Company for an offshore block in southern Sindh province, according to www.ndtvprofit.com. The Kunri block lies in the four districts of Sindh and covers area of 2,486 sq. km (960 sq mile).

The local firm, New Horizon Exploration and Production Limited, has 40 percent working interest in the venture. Kuwait Energy Company is an independent firm that is active in Egypt, Oman, Yemen, Indonesia, Syria and Russia. Pakistan’s liberal exploration policy has attracted interest from local as well as foreign firms in recent years, making oil and gas one of the largest investment areas. The government has set a target of drilling 100 exploration wells each year, compared with an average of 60 a year previously. However, most offshore wells drilled by Pakistani and foreign firms have turned out dry. Pakistan imports 85 percent of its energy needs, including over $6.5 billion worth of oil a year, and aims to increase domestic oil production from about 65,000 barrels per day.