Seven Bidders for Four Rio Negro Blocks

The government of Argentina's Rio Negro province has received bids from seven companies for four hydrocarbons blocks in the Neuquen basin, the provincial government said in a statement.

The four blocks - Laguna El Loro, Laguna de la Piedra, Loma Kauffman, and Cinco Saltos - are the first of 18 blocks the province ultimately plans to tender.

The province also planned to tender the Meseta Baya block in this round, but no companies presented bids for its development.

The companies that submitted bids were Argentine oil companies Pluspetrol, Oil M&S, Estrella Servicios Petroleros and Interenergy. Other bidders include Korean oil firm Golden Oil, Canadian oil company Petrolifera and the local subsidiary of US oil company Cliveden.

Golden Oil submitted a bid for the Laguna de Piedra area; Cliveden for Laguna del Loro; Pluspetrol, Cliveden and Interenergy for Cinco Saltos; and Oil M&S, Petrolifera, Interenergy and Estrella Servicios Petroleros for Loma de Kauffman

The government plans to open economic bids on October 19, according to the statement.

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