Forty-five of the world's major energy companies have qualified to compete in Iraq's next bidding round for contracts to develop its vast oil fields, the second such auction since the US-led invasion in 2003.

The auction for some of Iraq's largest undeveloped oilfields is scheduled for November. Iraq sits on the world's third-largest oil reserves. Not all the qualified companies competed in the first round.

Baghdad awarded only one of eight contracts offered in the first round in June. BP and China's CNPC won a deal to develop Rumaila, one of the world's largest producing fields.

The following is a list supplied by Iraq's contracts and licencing directorate of the 45 companies qualified for the second round:

Anadarko, BG Group, BHP Billiton, BP, Cairn Energy, Chevron, CNOOC, CNPC, ConocoPhillips, Edison, ENI, Exxon Mobil, Gazprom, Hess, Inpex, Japex, JOGMEC, JSC KazMunaiGas, Kogas, Lukoil, Maersk, Marathon, Mitsubishi, Mitsui Oil Exploration Co, Nexen,    Nippon Oil Corp, Tatneft, Occidental, Oil India, ONGC, Pakistan Petroleum, Pertamina, Petrovietnam, Petronas, Repsol, Rosneft, Royal Dutch Shell, Sinochem, Sinopec, Sonangol, StatoilHydro, Total, Turkish Petroleum, Wintershall BASF Group and Woodside. -Reuters