Occidental Petroleum Corp. is submitting a proposal to develop natural-gas fields in the United Arab Emirates, the Los Angeles oil company said Thursday.

Abu Dhabi National Oil Co., the Arab nation’s state-run oil company, plans to develop oil fields that can produce up to 1 billion cubic feet of fuel per day by 2012 with help from an international oil company. Exxon Mobil Corp. and Royal Dutch Shell Plc have already expressed interest in the $11 billion project.

Occidental said that it is seeking to sign at least two contracts for “high-potential” projects in the Middle East and North African regions this year. Those regions already account for nearly 20 percent of Occidental’s annual gas production.

Shares in Occidental were up 8 cents to $49.75 in afternoon trading Thursday on the New York Stock Exchange.