Iraq Business News brings you the latest information on developments and opportunities in the oil and gas industry in Iraq.
By John Lee. The Iraqi Government has reportedly told Gazprom Neft, the oil arm of Russian gas export monopoly Gazprom, to abandon oil deals in Kurdistan or face losing the lucrative Badra oilfield contract. The field, which is estimated to have reserves of 100 million barrels, is being developed by Gazprom (30%), Korea’s KOGAS (22.5%), […]
By John Lee. Shares in Gulf Keystone closed up 5.5% on Thursday following the announcement that it has struck oil at the Sheikh Adi block in Iraqi Kurdistan. The notification of the discovery follows the completion of a well testing programme of the Sheikh Adi-2 exploration well on the block, located immediately to the west […]
By John Lee. Petrofac has won a further inspection, maintenance and repair contract for the Rumaila oil field in Southern Iraq with its joint venture partner, China Petroleum Engineering & Construction Corporation (CPECC). The US$229 million contract was awarded by BP Iraq NV (BP), via the Rumaila Operating Organisation (ROO), following a competitive tender. The […]
By John Lee. In its third quarter results, Austria energy company OMV had the following comments on its operations in Iraqi Kurdistan: Clean EBIT increased by 28% to EUR 617 million, mainly due to higher sales volumes in Libya and favorable FX effects which more than offset the lower oil price and higher exploration expenses […]
By Padraig O'Hannelly. On the day Iraq announced that Exxon Mobil wants to abandon its business in southern Iraq in favour of potentially more profitable contracts in Iraqi Kurdistan, the Oil Ministry has cancelled a major exploration deal with Turkey's TPAO. The reasons were described as "non-technical", with the decision coming from the cabinet; the […]
By John Lee. The Iraqi cabinet has expelled Turkey's state-owned Turkiye Petrolleri AO (TPAO) from the consortium that was granted the rights to explore energy block 9, and has asked Kuwait Energy to take over the shareholding. Abdul Mahdi Al Ameedi, director of the oil ministry’s Petroleum Contracts and Licensing Directorate (PCLD), said: "For reasons […]
By John Lee. Exxon Mobil has informed the Iraqi government that it wants to pull out of the $50-billion West Qurna-1 oilfield project, according to a report from Reuters. Abdul Mahdi Al Ameedi, director of the oil ministry’s Petroleum Contracts and Licensing Directorate (PCLD), said: "Exxon has stated in its letter that it has started discussions […]
By John Lee. Dana Gas, the Middle East’s first and largest regional private sector natural gas company, has announced that it has reached an in-principle agreement on the restructuring terms of the US$1 billion Sukuk-al-Mudarabah due 31 October 2012 with the Ad Hoc Committee of Sukukholders. The Ad Hoc Committee holds a majority of the […]
Iraq has signed a deal with Russia's LUKoil, and Inpex Corp of Japan, to explore the 5,500-square-kilometer (2,100 square mile) Block 10 in Muthanna and Dhi Qar province. Under the contract, the two firms must invest at least $100 million and will be paid $5.99 for each barrel of oil equivalent it finds. "This contract represents […]
By John Lee. Iraq has signed a final contract with Pakistan Petroleum Limited (PPL), giving it the right to explore gas Block 8, covering an area of 6,000 sq km in the Diyala and Wassit provinces in eastern Iraq. During the signing ceremony, Iraq's deputy oil minister, Ahmed al-Shamma, said "developing exploration block 8 could […]
By John Lee. The Norwegian oil producer DNO International expects the Kurdistan Regional Government to pay the company part of the money it’s owed for exports by the end of the year. In September, Baghdad agreed to pay international companies 1 trillion Iraqi dinars ($858 million) and the KRG has received a first tranche of […]
By John Lee. DNO International, the Norwegian oil and gas company, announced today that the Benenan-3 well drilled on its Erbil license, Kurdistan region of Iraq, encountered an additional 210 meter oil column in the Najmeh reservoir which is expected to more than double the Benenan field's gross 2P oil-in-place volumes from 300 million barrels […]
