The Energy Ministry has announced that 58 companies have so far qualified for the next stage of the bidding process for the three oil blocks in the Western basin.

In a statement, the ministry said two of the applications were invalidated.

“The Ministry of Energy wishes to inform the general public that the Licensing Round Committee, today, Friday December 21, 2018, opened applications for prequalification received from interested companies who submitted Expression of Interest (EoI) for the competitive bidding for three Blocks (GH_WB_02, GH_WB_03 and GH_W13_04) in the Western Basin and direct negotiations in respect of two Blocks (GH_WB_05 and GH_WB_06), offshore the Republic of Ghana. Overall, sixteen (16) high caliber companies with proven track records submitted a total of sixty applications,” the statement noted.

It added: “Two of the applications were invalidated as they, were for Block GH WB 01 which has been reserved for the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC). In line with this, fifty eight (58) valid applications will be considered for the next stage of the process. The number of applications received shows a high level of interest by international companies in our Basins”