India interested in Exxon Mobil’s Angola block

NEW DELHI - Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) is considering a proposal to buy the stake of Exxon Mobil in an Angolan oil block, a senior official said Monday.

The proposal has come to us. We keep getting such proposals and we are examining it, ONGC Videsh Limited managing director, R.S. Butola told reporters on the sidelines of Petrotech 2010.

He asserted that India was certainly interested in the deal, adding that talks were at the initial stage. Definitely, we are interested, he said.

The Angolan oil minister Jose Botelho de Vasconcelos, who is participating at Petrotech, confirmed that Exxon Mobil and Total want to exit block 31. Some of the companies are leaving the Block 31. Our state oil company Sonangol has the responsibility to find other partners, he said.