The petroleum and licensing directorate of Iraq has announced that the second round of bidding on the country's prized oilfields will take place on December 11th to 12th.

In a statement made to Reuters, Abdul-Mahdy al-Ameedi, deputy director of the organisation, confirmed the date for the next bidding round and insisted that competition among the 44 bidders will be fierce.

There are high hopes that the upcoming bidding round will prove more successful than the inaugural licensing process earlier this year, in which only two bidders - BP and China National Petroleum Corp - came away with contracts.

As well as adhering to strict production improvement targets, both companies have also set aside $5 million (£3 million) to develop oil training courses for Iraqis looking to enter the industry.

Anticipating rising production yields from the BP and CNPC contracts, Iraq's state-owned South Oil Co is this week pushing ahead with a regional recruitment drive that will provide work for around 1,670 Iraqis.

Getenergy event for Iraq October 2009