Algeria's Sonatrach and Germany’s RWE Dea have both recently issued packages of tenders related to their planned oil and gas exploration programmes.

Sonatrach, which is owned by the Algerian government, intends to move ahead with a drilling programme in Areas 95/96 in the Ghadames basin, close to the Algerian border in western Libya. It plans to launch exploration in September.

RWE Dea, the oil division of German power and energy conglomerate RWE, is gearing up to explore its Area 58 concession, which is located 240km east of Benghazi in north-east Libya. RWE was awarded the concession in January 2008 and by 2010 had completed a seismic survey across 4,800 square kilometres of the zone, which covers a total area of some 10,300 square kilometres.

The German company has been involved in Libya since 2003 and is active in other concessions in the Sirte basin. In June this year the firm said it had initially wanted to start producing oil from its Libyan fields by 2014-5, but now expected to have to push back its schedule. Its drilling programme for Area 58 is planned for the first quarter of 2013.

The recent tenders include prequalifications to supply drilling equipment, medical support, mud logging, testing and inspection services, land transportation, and others.