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.

CNOOC Presents Plan for Missan Oilfields

The China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC) has presented its plan to develop three Maysan oil fields: Bazirgan, Fakka, Abu Gharb. As part of the plan, Weatherford will drill 180 oil wells. And after finishing the review there was a discussion about the plan, and the engineering staff in MOC shared their notes and questions about some […]

Iran Inks $200m Deal to Develop Joint Oilfield with Iraq

Iran’s Petroleum Engineering and Development Company (PEDEC) has reportedly signed a $200 million deal with domestic company Dana Energy to develop the Changooleh oilfield on the Iraqi border. Naji Sadouni, the managing director of the Iranian company told Mehr news agency that the deal aims to produce 15,000 barrels per day of crude oil in […]

Nabucco Future Hangs in the Balance

The Nabucco gas pipeline project is facing collapse, reports AFP. The scheme to ship more than 30 billion cubic meters of gas per year from the Caspian and beyond to Europe, bolstering Europe's energy security, may founder following Turkey's decision to allow Russia's rival South Stream project to run through its Black Sea waters. Construction […]

Majnoon to hit 175,000 bpd by Year-End

Iraq's Majnoon oilfield should be ready to produce 175,000 barrels per day (bpd) by the end of 2012, triggering cost recovery and service fee payments. Iraqi officials say the field could even reach that output, from current production of around 54,000 bpd, by August, depending on pipeline infrastructure, completed wells and also visa delays for […]

Statoil to Sell West Qurna-2 Stake to LUKoil

Russia’s LUKoil is set to become the only foreign operator of the West Qurna-2 oil project in Iraq after its partner, the Norwegian company Statoil, asked Iraq's oil ministry for permission to sell its stake, according to The Voice of Russia. The Iraqi Oil Ministry has reportedly approved the deal, which would give LUKoil a […]

Iran to Start Production at Joint Oilfield with Iraq

Iran will begin production at the Yadavaran oilfield, which it shares with Iraq, by the end of the current Iranian calendar year (which ends on March 20), according to ISNA news agency. The oilfield is estimated to hold around 12 billion barrels of in-situ crude oil, along with 12.5 trillion cubic feet of associated gases, […]

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Oil Exports Via Turkey Resume After Sabotage

Exports of crude oil from northern Iraq via the Turkish port of Ceyhan (pictured) have resumed on Monday after a three-day halt resulting from sabotage to the pipeline network in Turkey, according to Bloomberg. Ziad Ahmad al-Obaidi, an official from the North Oil Company said the initial rate was 400,000 barrels to 500,000 bpd. Iraqi […]

Basra Postpones Bid for Independence

Last year the oil-rich state of Basra announced it wanted more independence from Baghdad. This year it changed its mind. Decision makers say the timing is wrong, critics say Baghdad put locals under pressure, according to this article from NIQASH. Any opinions expressed are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the views […]

Jordan/Iraq Border Gas Exploration to Start Soon

Bloomberg reports that BP will start drilling exploratory wells at the Risha natural gas deposit in Jordan, near the border with Iraq, in the coming weeks. Jordanian Energy Ministry spokesman Fayez Abu Gaoud told the agency, “if it is proven that the volume of gas in the field is feasible for commercial purposes, the development […]

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Gulfsands Updates Iraq Operations

In its latest corporate update, Gulfsands Petroleum included the following statement on its Iraqi operations: Gulfsands signed a Memorandum of Understanding in January 2005 with the Ministry of Oil in Iraq for the Maysan Gas Project in Southern Iraq, following completion of a feasibility study on the project, and is negotiating details of a definitive […]

Pragmatism Breaks Out in Iraq

There has been a welcome outbreak of pragmatism in Iraq in recent days. While the fact that ExxonMobil will apparently be allowed to take part in the auction for the fourth round oil licences was not entirely unexpected, some will see it as a climb down on the part of Baghdad. Others, such as Hess […]

Baghdad Can Not Prevent Exxon-KRG Deal

Iraq’s legislation doesn’t prevent oil companies from signing deals with the central government in Baghdad and with the KRG, as ExxonMobil has done, said Adnan al-Janabi, chairman of Iraq’s Oil and Energy Committee. Speaking on the sidelines of an oil conference in London, he added, "there are no blacklists in parliament". “With or without the […]