Oil Ministry planning second gold exploration tender for 2017: The Oil Ministry is planning another gold exploration tender for 2017 — it’s second this year after last April’s offering. Oil Minister Tarek El Molla tells Youm7 that the ministry has prepared a list of new concessions that will be offered, adding that the ministry is ready to launch the tender. He offers no details on the whereabouts of the concessions or details on the second tender. More importantly, his statement lacks any detail on whether the new god exploration tender will follow the same production-sharing agreement, which was met with disdain and scared off Centamin, Aton Resources, and Thani Stratex, the three largest mining companies in Egypt. The winners of the last gold tender were UK’s Veritas Mining Limited, Ghassan Spain Investment, Egypt’s East Gas Company and Resolute Egypt, who will collectively invest USD 41.3 mn.