Archive | Iraq Oil & Gas News

Iraq Business News brings you the latest information on developments and opportunities in the oil and gas industry in Iraq.

Video: Shiite Milita fights IS in Baiji

From AFP. Any opinions expressed are those of the authors, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. Iraqi fighters from the Shiite popular mobilisation unit were still fighting jihadists from the Islamic state on the outskirts of Iraq's Baiji oil refinery, about 200 kilometres north of Baghdad, on Sunday.

New Army to Defend Oil and Electricity Facilities

By John Lee. Iraq is committing 27,000 security personnel to protect its oil and energy infrastructue from attacks by the Islamic State (IS, ISIS, ISIL). Oil Minister Adel Abdel Mahdi (pictured) announced the new force following the latest round of meeting with the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC). According to a report from The […]

Basra Heavy Oil to Boost Exports

By John Lee. Oil Minister Adel Abdel Mahdi (pictured) has said that the new Basra Heavy crude oil grade will add an additional 100,000 bpd to oil exports this month. Reuters reports that the new grade has allowed Iraq to revive some fields that it had previously shut down to maintain the quality of its […]

Indian Refiners in Talks with SOMO

By John Lee. Indian state refiners Indian Oil Corporation and Hindustan Petroleum Corporation are holding talks with Iraq’s State Oil Marketing Organization (SOMO) to buy 4 million barrels of Basra light crude oil for India’s strategic petroleum reserves (SPRs). Bombay Stock Exchange had sought clarification from Hindustan Petroleum following press reports; Hindustan subsequently confirmed the […]

Oil Export Data from KRG, May 2015

The Kurdistan Regional Government has published its Monthly Export Report for May 2015. The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) exported 17,906,242 barrels of crude oil (an average of 577,621 barrels per day (bpd)) in the month of May through the Kurdistan pipeline network to the port of Ceyhan in Turkey. Of this amount, fields operated by […]

Restrata wins $1.2m Network Deal

Restrata has been awarded a $1.2 million dollar (1.4 billion Iraqi dinar) contract to deploy a new managed internet network across six locations in Iraq, including West Qurna 2 Oilfield, Baghdad, Basra Central and Iraq Energy City. This new managed network enables Restrata to provide their clients with IP connectivity required to access bandwidth-hungry services […]

GKP Confirms Maersk Exec as New CEO

By John Lee. Gulf Keystone Petroleum (GKP) has confirmed that it is in the process of appointing Jón Ferrier as CEO. Following a brief transition period, John Gerstenlauer will retire as CEO and, at the forthcoming Annual General Meeting, as a Director of the Company. A further announcement will be made in due course. Jón […]

Oil Revenues hit $5bn in May

By John Lee. Iraq exported an estimated 97 million barrels of oil in May through the State Oil Marketing Organization (SOMO), giving a daily rate of 3.13 million bpd. Early statistics indicate that this brought in revenues of $5 billion (6 trillion Iraqi dinars), equating to about $51.5 per barrel. (Sources: AIN)

Tawke Oilfield hits new Record Output

DNO ASA, the Norwegian oil and gas operator, today announced a new daily record of 170,000 barrels of oil produced from the Tawke field in the Kurdistan region of Iraq, of which 30,000 barrels were sold into the local market and the balance allocated for export. Tawke production in the first quarter of 2015 was […]

Iran to Drill Iraqi Oil and Gas Fields?

By John Lee. The head of the state-run Iraqi Drilling Company (IDC), Idriss Mohsin al-Yasiri, is reported to have held closed-door talks with the  CEO of Iran’s North Drilling Company, Hedayatollah Khademi. According to Iran's PressTV, Al-Yasiri said the Iranian company was able to provide a “full cycle of services”, and said he expected the […]

Basra Heavy Trading at Discount

By John Lee. According to a report from Reuters, the new Basra Heavy crude oil grade has been trading at a widening discount. Malaysia's Petronas reportedly sold 2 million barrels for June loading to Indian refiner Essar Oil at a discount of more than $1 a barrel to its official selling price. bigger than expected […]

Iraq Plans Big Increase in Oil Exports

By John Lee. Iraq is planning to boost crude exports by about 26 percent, according to a report from Bloomberg. Shipping schedules suggest exports of a record 3.75 million bpd in June. Deputy Oil Minister Fayyad al-Nimaa said recently that export capacity is currently capped at 3.1 million bpd. Commenting in Forbes, petroleum economist Michael […]