The ministry announced on Friday that the companies which submitted eligible expression of interest (EOI) included US supermajor ExxonMobil and Australia’s Woodside Petroleum.

China’s CNOOC also lodged an EOI through its newly-acquired Canadian subsidiary Nexen, in joint partnership with Japan’s Inpex and JGC.

The fourth proposal was submitted by Korea’s SK E&S.

The ministry said these new proposals joined a growing list of international players interested in investing in British Columbia, including Anglo-Dutch supermajor Shell and partners PetroChina, US partners Apache and Chevron, Malaysia’s Petronas, UK-based BG Group, Korea Gas and Mitsubishi.

According