Sixteen oil and gas firms have submitted applications for one or more of five Ghanaian offshore blocks in the West African country’s first exploration licensing round, its energy ministry said. The interest is a major vote of confidence in Ghana, which is keen to unlock more resources after it began pumping from its flagship offshore Jubilee field in 2010. The companies that have submitted applications are Tullow Oil, Total, ENI, Cairn, Harmony Oil and Gas Corporation, ExxonMobil, CNOOC, Qatar Petroleum [QATPE.UL], BP, Vitol [VITOLV.UL], Global Petroleum Group, Aker Energy, First E&P, Kosmos, Sasol and Equinor. The applications include expressions of interest in competitive bidding for three blocks in the Western Basin and for direct negotiations regarding another two blocks offshore Ghana, the energy ministry said in a statement. “Τhe high level of interest shown by major International Oil Companies in our first licensing round is a […]