Date: 01 Mar 2000
Time: 07:34:12
Remote Name: 156.29.145.175
02/29/2000 Hart's Asian Petroleum News (c) 2000 Phillips Business Information, Inc.
The NIOC is leaking information suggesting the hottest contender to win the sought after onshore Darkhovin oil field project, in southwest Iran , is a combination of Agip and Elf Aquitaine acting as a consortium, although their original bids have been made separately.
The same NIOC sources say the runners up to the claimed favourites, are LASMO (UK) with the local Iran Ofogh Industrial Development Company.
According to NIOC, it is hoped to announce a first buy-back agreement before the 20 March 2000, which represents the end of the Iranian year.
It is said this timing will be award linked, for either the Darkhovin project, or it will be for the onshore Sarvestan and Saadatabad fields, whose sole bidder is understood to be OMV of Austria, and whose negotiations are said to be in an advanced stage.