China’s Ministry of Land & Resources (MLR) has awarded three blocks out of five auctioned in the Tarim basin in northwestern China’s Xinjiang region to non-state oil companies, marking another step in its strategy to open the onshore sector to more diverse investment, writes Xu Yihe.
The three companies — Shenergy Co, Xinjiang Energy (Group) Co and Zhongman Petroleum and Natural Gas Group Corp (ZPEC) – have secured rights to explore the Keping South block covering 2646 square kilometres, the Wensu West block with 1504 square kilometres and the Wensu block covering 1096 square kilometres.
