Edison International has awarded an exploration licence by the Government of Malta for offshore blocks 1, 2 and 3 of Area 3 located north of the Maltese Islands and totalling approximately 6,400 square kilometres, the government said today.

The licence was awarded in June, with the government making the decision public today.

The Exploration Study Agreement has a duration of one year with a possibility of being extended by a further two years subject to an additional work programme. The work obligations for the first year mainly consist in geological and geophysical studies on existing data.

Edison International is wholly owned by Edison Exploration & Production (a subsidiary of Edison).

Edison Exploration and Production has a portfolio of about 90 licences in 10 countries in the Mediterranean area and Northern Europe with an average daily production of approximately 40,000 barrels of oil equivalent.