Indonesia Awards Oil Blocks to Shell, Petronas, Pertamina

Indonesia's state-owned Pertamina, Royal Dutch Shell, and Malaysia's Petronas  were among the companies awarded 11 Indonesian oil and gas blocks last year, government officials said on Wednesday.

Indonesia offered a total of 16 conventional and unconventional oil and gas blocks last year, Wiratmadja Puja, acting director general of oil and gas at the Indonesian energy and mines ministry said. Government officials previously put the number at 21. "We will bid (another) 12 oil and gas blocks this year -- two conventional blocks and 10 shale gas blocks," Naryanto Wagimin, director oil and gas upstream at the Indonesian energy and mines ministry said, referring to 2015. "We want more realistic (bids) and prioritize the more credible companies."

Reporting by Wilda Asmarini