The Omani government has awarded two contracts to explore and develop gas deposits within Oman. Mohammed al-Rumhy, Oman’s oil minister, announced that the French Company Total and Thailand’s PTTEP had been granted the rights for Block 12 which covers about 9,546 square Kilometers inside Oman. The discovery of the Mubrouk oil field in 2018 has led to an increase in exploration and undertaking multi-billion dollar projects to monetize gas from the field.