Tanzania: New deep-water blocks on offer


Tanzania is offering new deep-water acreage in its fourth licensing round set to launch on 25 October. The bid round is going ahead, although a new gas policy is not yet in place – previously a precondition for the auction to take place. Interested parties will be invited to bid for eight blocks, seven offshore and one in the north of Lake Tanganyika, by 15 May 2014 (AE 255/12). The prospect has triggered some excitement in industry circles, not least because the auction has been much delayed, but also because the offshore blocks lie adjacent to big gas discoveries made by BG Group and Statoil, which plan a liquefaction facility to market the gas.