Iraq Launches Natural Gas Exploration Tender

The Iraqi government has invited companies to bid for 11 exploration blocks with natural gas reserves as part of a push to boost its self-sufficiency in the hydrocarbon. According to a statement by the Oil Ministry, eight of the blocks are located in the western part of the country, one is in northern Iraq, and two are in central Iraq. All of these are new areas of oil and gas exploration, Reuters noted in a report. Iraq, which is the second-biggest oil producer in OPEC, flares most of the associated gas that comes out of its oil wells instead…