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Oil Ministry Announces Amendments to New Oil Contracts

The Iraqi Oil Ministry has announced amendments to the contracts for the fourth oil licensing round after complaints from participating companies, reports AKnews. The Ministry's Director of Contracts and Licenses, Abdulmahdi al-Amidi [Abdul-Mahdy al-Ameedi], said that a final formula will be issued before the beginning of the negotiations in November. "These contracts purchased by the […]

Hyundai, Metka Win Iraq Power Deals Worth $357m

Iraqi government spokesman Dr Ali al-Dabbagh has announced that Iraq's cabinet has approved projects to build two power stations in southern Iraq. The 1,500 megawatt Rumaila power station will be built by South Korean Hyundai Engineering at a cost of $308 million, while the 1,250 megawatt plant in Basra will be built by Greek company […]

Iraqi Cabinet Approves Akkas deal

Iraq's cabinet has approved a contract with South Korea's KOGAS to develop the Akkas [Ukaz] gas field in western Anbar province, the country's largest, according to a report from Reuters. The cabinet approved the deal on Sept. 13 and the source said it will be signed Oct. 15. "Final signature of Akkas gas deal with Kogas […]

ENI Increases Commitment to Iraq

Italian energy company ENI, operator of Iraq's giant Zubair oil field, said it was interested in more operations in the country after talks with Baghdad leaders. ENI's Chief Executive Officer, Paolo Scaroni, accompanied by the company's E&P COO, Claudio Descalzi, met with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki in Baghdad to discuss the redevelopment of Zubair […]

WesternZagros Accelerates Oil Production Timeline

WesternZagros Resources has received approval to begin producing its first oil through an extended well test at its Sarqala-1 oil discovery. Drilling at Mil Qasim-1, the Company's third exploration well, is proceeding ahead of schedule. "We are delighted to commence our extended well test at Sarqala-1 sooner than anticipated. The acceleration of the next phase […]

Excalibur Sues Gulf Keystone

Excalibur is suing Gulf Keystone Petroleum (GKP) over Kurdistan's 11-billion-barrel Shaikan oil field in a vigorously-contested lawsuit. The company had a "collaboration agreement" with Texas Keystone, a private company owned by GKP's chairman Todd Kozel and his brothers, giving it 30pc of fields won in any joint bids. According to London's Telegraph, Excalibur, which introduced […]

Forum to Encourage British Investment in in Basra

An Iraqi-British economic forum is set to introduce British investors to business opportunities in the oil-rich province of Basra next month. According to head of the investment board in Basra, the forum is expected to attract some of the giant British energy companies including BP and Shell. Khalaf al-Badran, head of Basra Investment Commission told […]

Iraqi Oil Income Already Beats 2010 Total

Higher oil prices and rising exports in the first eight months of the year have meant Iraq has already earned more from crude oil exports in the first eight months of 2011 than in all of 2010. The country generated $55.733 billion between January and August, compared to a total of $52.202 billion in all […]

Iraqi Stock Market in the Spotlight

With most Middle East stock markets having been dragged down by the turmoil unleashed by the Arab spring and a sputtering global economy, some adventurous fund managers have started exploring opportunities in the tiny Iraqi market, according to a report from Bloomberg. The Iraqi Stock Exchange, or ISX, says its main market index has surged […]

Oil Output to be Increased at al-Ahdab

Iraq's Oil Ministry has formally approved a proposal to raise production at the al-Ahdab oil field to 200,000 bpd. The Chinese National Petroleum Company (CNPC) that started exploring the field in June. It is considered to be CNPC's largest oil investment in the Middle East and the first oil field to be newly explored in […]

Petrel to Revise Iraq Strategy?

In its interim results, announced this morning, Petrel Resources said it may review its strategy in Iraq following failure to qualify for bidding in the 4th energy licensing round: After 14 years in Iraq it continues to frustrate. The economy remains fragile, as does the security situation. There is still no hydrocarbon law. As such, […]