Saudi Aramco has extended the deadline to bid for the development of the Midyan gas field by three weeks to January, two industry sources said. Bidding is now due to close by January 21 after companies asked again for an extension of the December 31 deadline which had coincided with the year-end holiday period. The original deadline for submitting the bids was end-November.

Aramco wants to build a plant which will have a processing capacity of 75 million standard cubic feet per day of gas and a pipeline to feed gas to a power plant in the western port city of Duba.

The world's largest oil exporter is looking for gas all over the kingdom to boost gas production that will help meet rising domestic fuel demand. It made a new gas field discovery 26 kilometres north-west of Duba, Saudi oil minister was quoted as saying in October.

Midyan is expected to start production in 2013, Aramco's CEO Khalid al-Falih said in October. The field in north-west Saudi Arabia was discovered in the 1980s and has significant reserves, added al-Falih.

Copyright Reuters, 2012