Peru's government plans to open bidding on seven or eight energy blocks in mid-December, when it will also announce winners of two additional oil contracts that have already gone out for bid.
The new launch next month will be the first round of bidding on a total 26 energy contracts, said Luis Ortigas, the president of the government energy agency Perupetro.
"There are 26 blocks that are ready for auction, but only seven or eight blocks will be tendered" to start, Ortigas said.
He did not specify if the blocks held oil or natural gas, but said most of them are in the Peruvian Amazon.
The winning bidder on oil blocks III and IV, now controlled by Interoil Exploration and Production, will be announced on Dec. 12, Ortigas said.
Ortigas said the two blocks, in northern Peru, drew a total of 10 bids.
