Cyprus picks Eni, Total and Exxon for offshore exploration blocks

LONDON, Dec 21 (Reuters) - Cyprus said on Wednesday it hadpicked Eni, Total and ExxonMobil forthree oil and gas exploration licences in the Mediterraneanclose to where Eni made the biggest gas find in the past decade.

The Cypriot government awarded Eni and Total a jointexploration block, while Eni also won another on its own and athird went to ExxonMobil in partnership with Qatar Petroleum,the energy ministry said.

Statoil and Cairn together with Avner andDelek had also applied for licences but missed out.

Exploration opportunities in the Mediterranean's Levantbasin have become more interesting following Eni's discovery ofthe giant Zohr gas field offshore Egypt last year that isestimated to contain a bumper 850 billion cubic metres of gas.

Eni has raised more than $2 billion in recent weeks withstake sales in the concession containing Zohr to Rosneft and BP. (Reporting by Karolin Schaps. Editing by Jane Merriman)