Oil and Gas Fields: Qayara

NameQayara, also known as Qayarah, Qayyara.

Controlled by: Ministry of Oil (Baghdad).

Location: Nineveh

Discovery: 1927

Reserves: 800 million barrels of oil

Quality: Very heavy and sour (15°API).

Developed by: Angola’s Sonangol had been granted the contract (75%), with North Oil Company (25%), in 2010 at a price of $6.00 per barrel, but Sonangol pulled out in 2014 due to security problems. As of April 2015, Qayara was reported to be the only functioning oilfield under the control of the Islamic State (IS, ISIS, ISIL).

In February 2018, Sonangol took back operatorship of the field with a view to re-starting work immediately.

Plateau production target:  Originally 120,000 bpd by 2017. This was later revised down to a combined target, along with the Najmah field, of 55,000 bpd by 2021.

For latest news on the project please click here.

A full list of oil and gas fields controlled by the Ministry of Oil in Baghdad can be found here.