ALGIERS, July 9 (Reuters) - Algeria will hold its next

oil and gas exploration licensing round in the fourth quarter of

this year, a source at Algeria's national agency for development

of hydrocarbon resources (ALNAFT) told Reuters.

Companies including Exxon Mobil ( XOM ), Chevron ( CVX ),

ENI and Sinopec have already signed preliminary

agreements with Algeria in the past few months.