By John Lee.
The Iraqi cabinet has approved the agreement between the Ministry of Oil and French company TotalEnergies to implement four major energy projects in the country:
- Plants to collect and refine associated natural gas at the fields of Artawi [Ratawi], West Qurna 2, Majnoon, Tuba [Subba] and Lahais [Luhais]. This will include a Central Gas Complex at Artawi;
- Development of the Artawi field;
- The integrated seawater project [Common Seawater Supply Project (CSSP)?], which the ministry has been trying to implement for more than ten years; and,
- A 1,000MW solar energy plant.
The project was originally agreed in March.
(Source: Govt of Iraq)
Dear John
By "Artawi" Field, I guess you mean the giant Ratawi Field at Southern Iraq.
I have seen this nomenclature practice before in and outside Iraq. This happens where the only achievement of the politically appointed technical staff is changing the spelling or the pronunciation of from the correct name of the Fields or Formations to what they think is the correct name is the way their illiterate or semi-illiterate locals or leaders pronounces them.
Please read and ask whoever gave you the information to study the Nomenclature Guidelines of The International Commission on Stratigraphy, as changing the spelling of the name of the field can lead to adding the HC reserves of "Artawi" Field to the pre-existing reserves that already includes the Ratawi Field reserves in the HC Reserves Spreadsheets of Iraq by the accountants who have not been roasted at 70 Deg. C by the Summer Sun of Iraq.
Thank you for your comment M Casey.
We try to use both versions of the name where it first occurs in an article (e.g. in the first bullet point above), in the hope of preventing confusion.
Your comment regarding the correct transliteration is duly noted. Thanks again.
Ratawi is the official name used by the competent Iraqi entities within the Ministry of Oil such as the Iraqi Exploration Company , the Directorate of Reservoirs and Fields Development and of course by Basrah Oil Company which operates the field . The name is an old Locality name and it's the profession's practice to give names of nearest locality to structures or oil field. We were confronted during the years before 2003 and after by politicians from outside the oil industry or " opportunists " within the industry attempting to give rosy names celebrating major discoveries , reaching record drilled depth or commemorating heroic events in defending an oil installation...est. I personally tried to adhere to the international practice of Nomenclature in the industry ,succeeded in some and overruled in other especially pre 2003. After the change of regime, the name of AL Bakir oil Terminal was no more acceptable so I ordered its change to Basrah Oil Terminal (BOT) using the same code of Nomenclature ,i.e a locality name.