Iraq Business News brings you the latest information on developments and opportunities in the oil and gas industry in Iraq.
The dispute between Iraq's central government and the Kurdistan Regional Government over oil contracts in northern Iraq has been dragging on for years, but it recent times we've seen developments that push the sides further apart rather than bringing them together. While the short-term issue of payments for shipments from Iraqi Kurdistan appears to have […]
By John Lee. The Chief Executive Officer of Italy's Saipem has said that the company is negotiating a contract worth around $1 billion in Iraq. According to Reuters, Pietro Franco Tali (pictured) said on a conference call that the negotiations could be finalised by the end of the year. Iraq Business News believes the contract […]
By John Lee. According to Iraq Oil Report, Austria's OMV will hand back two exploration blocks to the Kurdistan Regional Government. In its latest trading statement, OMV said it had written off exploration expenses at the "unsuccessful wells and exploration licenses" relating to the Mala Omar and Shorish blocks. The company has failed to find […]
The Iraqi Council of Ministers has approved a draft budget of 138 trillion dinars ($115 billion) for 2013, an 18 percent increase on this year’s spending programme. The figures are based on expected average oil prices of $90 per barrel, and exports of 2.9 million barrels of oil per day, of which 250 thousand bpd […]
Deputy Premier for Energy Affairs Hussein al-Shahristani (pictured) has opened a new 250-MW, gas-fired power station in Karbala. Sharistani said that the government is working on electricity generating stations in Babel, Karbala and Anbar provinces, while another 250-MW station will be opened in Hilla in the coming days. Iraq recently announced that it also plans […]
DLA Piper, the global law firm, has advised on a major deal in Iraq, to create a specialised oil and gas free zone. The firm acted on behalf of Basra International Oil and Gas Hub (BIOGH) on a joint venture agreement with the Iraqi Free Zone Authority, a unit of the Ministry of Finance. The […]
By John Lee. Reuters reports that Kurdistan has begun shipping oil to international markets in independent export deals that some see as paving the way to greater Kurdish autonomy. The move is likely to further enrage the central government in Baghdad, but the involvement of two of the world's largest trading houses, Trafigura and Vitol, […]
By John Lee. Iraq's Ministry of Oil has announced the launch of the Nassiriya Integrated Project, and invited interested companies to become formally qualified to participate in its development. The project involves the integrated development of the more than 4-billion barrel Nassiriya oil field in Thi-Qar province together with the construction and operation of a […]
By John Lee. The Kurdistan Regional Government's Minister for Natural Resources, Ashti Hawrami (pictured), has announced that the Kurdish region will be self-sufficient in oil products next year. He expects an increase in Kurdistan refinery's production from 40,000 to 100,000 barrels per day, resulting in a surplus of oil products. Hawrami also disclosed that there […]
By John Lee. Iraqi Oil Ministry spokesman Asim Jihad has told Aswat al-Iraq that Korea’s state-run Korea Gas Corporation (KOGAS) will soon begin work on the first stage of a new pipeline linking Kirkuk to Beiji [Bayji, Baiji]. According to the report, the $128-million project will bring dry and liquid gas from Kirkuk to Beiji, and […]
By John Lee. Shares in Sterling Energy were up more than 1% in early trading on Monday, following the publication of the company's interim management statement. Sterling made the following statement on operations in Iraqi Kurdistan: "The Company completed the acquisition of 117 km of 2D seismic data in the Sangaw North block in south […]
By John Lee. Reuters reports that bad weather has halted oil exports from Iraq's southern oilfields, with rough seas preventing tankers reaching port. The stoppage may continue through Tuesday, Iraqi oil port sources said on Sunday. "Because of bad weather oil exports have been completely stopped... Tankers cannot reach port because of rough seas and […]
