The deadline for submitting bids for the 27 oil blocks up for tender in the Democratic Republic of Congo has been pushed back by several months, the government has announced.
The closing of the tenders will take place between April and October this year, depending on the blocks, Hydrocarbons Minister Didier Budimbu said on Twitter.
« Ce report permettra aux compagnies de poursuivre les différentes évaluations techniques indispensables à l’appréciation des offres », explique-t-il.
The DRC government decided last July to auction off 27 oil blocks and three gas blocks.
The gas blocks have already been awarded to two US and one Canadian company, selected to exploit methane gas on the Congolese side of Lake Kivu, located on the Rwandan border.
The government defends the DRC's right to exploit its oil resources and promises to ensure that the environment is respected.
Environmental organisations, on the other hand, are up in arms against the project.
« Les pays africains sont déjà touchés de manière disproportionnée par la crise climatique, subissant des sécheresses intenses à travers l’Afrique sub-saharienne », a tweeté samedi Greenpeace Afrique.
« Les appels d’offres de blocs pétroliers dans les tourbières de la RDC nous conduiront à une catastrophe climatique », ajoute l’ONG.
