Iraq Business News brings you the latest information on developments and opportunities in the oil and gas industry in Iraq.
By John Lee. Bayshore Petroleum Corp is pleased to announce that it has entered into a Letter of Intent with International Enhanced Petroleum Services (EPS), a private UAE company with its registered office located in the Jebel Ali Free Zone, UAE and operating in Iraq, to construct a pilot heavy oil upgrading facility utilizing a […]
By John Lee. Iraq has announced the award of two contracts totalling nearly a billion dollars to Britain's Petrofac and China's CPECC, Reuters reports. The deals, for services at the super-giant Rumaila field near Basra, were worth $535.8 million for Petrofac and $425 million for China Petroleum Engineering & Construction Corporation. Rumaila is a field of key strategic […]
By John Lee. Oil companies operating in the Kurdistan Region have so far donated $15 million dollars towards humanitarian aid for refugees from the war in Syria, through an initiative launched by the KRG Ministry of Natural Resources. Thousands of Syrian refugees who have fled to the Kurdistan Region have received help through the donations. […]
By John Lee. Iraq's oil exports were up to 2.5 million bpd for April, an increase on March's exports of 2.4 million bpd, despite the inactivity of the major northern Kirkuk-Ceyhan pipeline, which has been inoperable due to insurgent sabotage. A statement from the ministry of oil said that April's total of 75 million barrels […]
By John Lee. Writing in Forbes, correspondent Christopher Helman has written an autobiographical study of Lukoil CEO Vagit Alekperov (pictured) and the company's long term ambition in developing the giant West Qurna 2 field in southern Iraq. Helman notes the stunning scale of the endeavor, which has spanned several decades including a deal with Saddam in 1997 […]
By John Lee. Iran have announced that drilling will begin next year at the Azar oil field, which is known as Badra on the Iraqi side of the border. On the Iraqi side, Badra is operated by Gazprom Neft. Saying that initial activity should yield some 30,000 bpd with a later target of 65,000 bpd, […]
By John Lee. Turkish energy minister Taner Yildiz (pictured) has announced that Turkey is ready to market oil from the Kurdish region, currently stored at the port of Ceyhan. Beginning May 2nd, Turkey will market some 1.5 million barrels of oil from storage tanks (which are nearing full capacity) and minister Yildiz said this would […]
By John Lee. Iraq's northern Kirkuk-Ceyhan export pipeline has been inoperable since March due to sabotage, while attempts to repair it have been curtailed due to ongoing insurgent activity. Deputy prime minister for energy Hussein al-Shahristani (pictured) explained the urgency of the situation, noting that the area was secure enough to repair the pipeline, but […]
By John Lee. Harvard Kennedy School (HKS) today announced the creation of the Middle East-North Africa Graduate Fellowship Fund underwritten by a $1 million gift from the Norwegian oil and gas company DNO International ASA. The fellowship will support qualified applicants who enroll at HKS through the Edward S. Mason Program. The internationally focused Mason […]
By John Lee. Abullah Akrayi, the Kurdish representative for Iran affairs has announced plans for two pipelines to Iran, intended to exchange refined oil and natural gas from Iran for crude oil from the KRG, Anadolu Agency reports. Iranian trade envoy to Iraq Rostem Qasimi apparently signed the deal in Erbil with KRG natural resources minister Ashti […]
By John Lee. Russia's Lukoil is considering joining a joint venture with Russian state-owned exploration and production company Zarubezhneft to develop the Nassiriya oil field and help build an associated refinery. The next round of talks on the project with the Iraqi government is expected this summer, LUKoil CEO Vagit Alekperov (pictured) stated earlier, according […]
By John Lee. Oil Search Limited has reported that the Taza 2 well in Kurdistan was drilled to a depth of 10,679 feet (3,255 meters), and the company was preparing to drill ahead in an 8.5 inch hole. During the week, the well penetrated the Jeribe Formation, encountering hydrocarbon shows in line with prognosis, and […]
