Delyan Dobrev, head of the parliamentary energy committee, will present Monday in Houston opportunities for oil and gas drilling in Bulgaria’s Black Sea exploration blocks to leading US and international companies.

Dobrev is taking part in the OTC 2015 (Offshore Technology Conference) together with Deputy Energy Minister Zhecho Stankov and Delyan Dimitrov from the Board of Directors of state-owned gas transmission operator Bulgartransgaz.

The emphasis in the presentation on Bulgaria will be opportunities for work in Bulgarian waters created after the launch of the oil and gas exploration and production procedures for the Black Sea blocks Teres and Silistar, according to Dobrev, as cited by Standard daily and Darik radio.

During the conference in Houston, the Bulgarian delegation will hold talks with representatives of some of the largest US companies in the sector.

The tenders for oil and natural gas exploration rights for Block 1-14 Silistar and Block 1-22 Teres, two exploration blocks located in Bulgaria's Black Sea continental shelf and exclusive economic zone, were launched on April 18, following the publication of the announcements in the Official Journal of the European Union.

The licenses for prospecting and/or exploration of oil and natural gas will be awarded for 5-year periods.

Apart from that, Delyan Dobrev recently told German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (F.A.Z.) that the activities in the nearby exploration block Han Asparuh had reached an advanced stage, adding that France’s Total, Austria’s OMV, and Spain’s Repsol had been working there for three years.

Dobrev noted that the preliminary drilling to confirm deposits would be conducted in 2016 and the commercial production of gas could start four years later.