Cypriot Energy Ministry, Georgios Lakkotrypis, has announced that ENI, Total, Statoil, Exxon Mobil, Qatar Petroleum, and Cairn are six among the eight companies that had sent their expressions of interest for earning licenses for offshore hydrocarbon blocks in Cyprus, reported Reuters.

Cyprus has offered exploration rights for three of its offshore blocks. The offshore sea block located within close proximity to Egypt’s Zohr field was the one that attracted the most attention from two consortia and one company, informed Ekathimerini.

According to news release from Lakkotrypis, Cairn, through its Capricorn Oil unit, had applied jointly with Israel’s Avner and Delek over one block, ENI and Total jointly over two blocks, ENI on its own over another, Exxon Mobil and Qatar Petroleum over one, and Statoil Upsilon Netherlands B.V. on its own.

Cyprus has previously found an estimated 4.5tcf of natural gas in one prospect in late 2011.