Custom Search

By John Lee.

Janus Global Operations (JGO) has announced that it has been selected by "an integrated oil and gas multinational corporation based in Malaysia", to provide security and risk management services for the company’s operations in central Iraq.

Some 600 JGO U.S. and foreign national employees will be responsible, during the two-year contract, for security and risk management for the Malaysian International Oil Company’s (IOC) oil exploration and development program in central Iraq, to include the company’s base camp, facilities, and also mobile security for company personnel.

Matt Kaye (pictured), JGO’s chief executive officer, said:

“We’re proud that the Malaysian IOC has selected JGO for this security responsibility.

“JGO has worked in Iraq with commercial and government clients for more than 13 years on demining and unexploded remnants of war clearance, munitions management, security and risk management, and other tasks critical to clients’ operations.”

The Malaysian IOC has a 10-year relationship with JGO, Kaye added.

Although not named in the announcement, Malaysia's state-owned Petronas is the operator of the Garraf [Gharraf] oil field in Dhi Qar Governorate, in which it holds a 45-percent stake. The company also has interests in Iraq's Majnoon, Halfaya and Badra fields.

(Source: JGO)

By Ahmed Mousa Jiyad.

Any opinions expressed are those of the authors, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News.

Developing Border Oilields and Utilizing Associated Natural Gas: Important Projects, Dubious and Non-Transparent Contracts

Information from and about the Ministry of Oil has been published and circulated extensively, in the last few days,  concerning two important subjects or projects, each of which could have immense direct and effective impacts on the Iraqi economy and on the national interest.

The first concerns the development of border fields with Iran and Kuwait, and the second is related to utilizing associated natural gas from Nassiriyah and Gharraf oilfields in Thi Qar province.

After thorough reviewing all information from the mentioned sources and analyzing what relates to both projects, I made a few remarks, diagnosed some flaws, inaccuracies and inconsistencies, and then proposed some practical suggestions and alternatives that I hope will attract the attention of the Ministry; especially those related to the necessity of utilizing “National Efforts” in developing border fields.

The extent and implications of lacking competitiveness and transparency, which consequently lead to questioning the integrity of the contractual process, have also been clearly identified.

It should be recalled that the Iraqi Constitution emphasizes two basic principles directly related to these two projects: the first concerns achieving "the highest benefit for the Iraqi people" and the second “using the most advanced techniques of the market principles". In the light of what was presented and analyzed below, it is clear that the Ministry did not comply with these Constitutional requirements and obligation.

The paper discusses the border fields/ blocks first then addresses the utilization of associated gas.

Please click here to download the full report.

Mr Jiyad is an independent development consultant, scholar and Associate with the former Centre for Global Energy Studies (CGES), London. He was formerly a senior economist with the Iraq National Oil Company and Iraq’s Ministry of Oil, Chief Expert for the Council of Ministers, Director at the Ministry of Trade, and International Specialist with UN organizations in Uganda, Sudan and Jordan. He is now based in Norway (Email: mou-jiya(at)online.no, Skype ID: Ahmed Mousa Jiyad). Read more of Mr Jiyad’s biography here.

Following extensive discussions, the Iraqi Ministry of Oil and Baker Hughes, a GE company (BHGE) signed a contract for fast-track solutions to help the recovery of flare gas in line with the country’s strategy for energy sector development.

An advanced modular gas processing (NGL) plant has been recommended for Nassiriya as part of the initiative by Baker Hughes, which is the first and only company in the world to provide a full-stream offering covering products, services and digital solutions for the oil and gas sector, from upstream to midstream and downstream.

As per the agreement, Baker Hughes, will develop advanced solutions for flare gas at the Nassiriya and Al Gharraf oilfields, using modular gas processing technology developed in the United States, with the project to be undertaken in two stages. In the first stage, the advanced modular gas processing solution will be deployed to dehydrate and compress flare gas to generate over 100 million standard cubic feet per day (MMSCFD) of gas.

The Nassiriya plant will then be expanded to a complete natural gas liquid (NGL) facility to recover 200 MMSCFD of dry gas, liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) and condensate. The project will create direct and indirect jobs for Iraqis and help grow the local supply chain requirements that support Iraqi small and medium enterprises.

The modular solution will also support power plants with dry gas for efficient power generation, thus helping meet the growing demand for electricity using clean fuel. The project will also contribute to curtailing the amount of gas flared in the fields of Nassiriya and Gharraf that otherwise goes to waste.

The hundreds of thousands of tons per year of LPG and condensates produced will help meet the domestic demand for cooking gas. The surplus LPG and condensate will be exported, generating high revenue to the Iraqi government. Contributing to the social and economic development of Nassiriya, the project is aligned with the vision of the Ministry of Oil and the government.

His Excellency Jabbar Al-Luaibi, the Iraq Minister of Oil, said that the Ministry is moving ahead to implement its strategic plans to secure financial revenue to the treasury of the Iraqi state and to develop the oil industry. The statement came at the ceremony hosted by the Ministry to sign a contract for the project to invest in an optimum solution to recover flare gas in the fields of Nassiriya and Gharraf with Baker Hughes.

Rami Qasem, President, MENAT and India, Baker Hughes said:

“The Iraqi Ministry of Oil has outlined a clear vision and strategy to maximize the utilization of natural resources, especially gas. As a full-stream company that combines physical and digital strengths to increase reliability and uptime across the entire spectrum of oil and gas development, we bring advanced solutions that can support in transforming the industry and contribute to all-round development through our in-country investments in Iraq.

"We are committed to supporting the Ministry of Oil in its strategic goals, and in deploying advanced flare gas solutions and to build the country’s oil and gas infrastructure. From industrial to economic and environmental benefits our solutions will create long-term value for the country.”

Last year, BHGE had signed a first-of-its-kind partnership agreement with the Ministry of Oil to strengthen the performance of the Iraq energy sector by providing advanced equipment, technology upgrades, maintenance of the Ministry of Oil fleet and ensuring knowledge transfer, skills development and local jobs.

BHGE has also strengthened its localization initiatives in Iraq with the expansion of its technical services facility in the North Rumaila oilfield. It offers a wide range of testing, repair and refurbishment services for its customers in the country as well as undertakes fabrication and assembly of key products establishing BHGE as a complete technical solutions provider.

With three offices in Iraq - Baghdad, Erbil and the Basra – GE continues to deliver its latest technology and expertise to local customers. The company has more than 350 employees currently, nearly 95 per cent of them Iraqi professionals.

(Source: Baker Hughes)

By Simon Kent.

Turkish oil and gas services company Ergil have announced the completion of a project with Petronas, to provide pipeline maintenance via "pigging" at the Gharraf oil field in Thi Qar province.

Gharraf is operated by Petronas, Japex and North Oil Company, and the services Ergil provided installing "pig launchers" and "pig receivers" were provided to the 13km Gharraf-Badra pipeline.

"Pigs" are devices inserted into oil and gas pipelines to remove sediment and scaling, and are considered a more efficient and environmentally friendly way of cleaning pipes compared to flushing them with chemicals and water.

As of February 2015, there is now a Thi Qar oil company who are also working on the Gharraf field.

(Source: ERGIL)

By John Lee.

Oil Minister Dr. Adel Abdul Mahdi [Adel Abdel Mehdi] (pictured) has announced the establishment of three new oil companies.

The Dhi Qar Oil Company has been set up to put the extraction and production of oil from fields in Dhi Qar under their direct supervision of the people of the province. This follows the successful developement of the fields at Nasiriyah and Gharraf.

The Ministry is also setting up a new oilfield services company and a new crude oil pipelines company.

(Source: Ministry of Oil)

By John Lee.

International oil companies (IOCs) in southern Iraq are seeking to push ahead with their own water injection facilities to meet production targets, according to a report from Platts.

Malaysia's Petronas, operator of the Gharraf [Garraf] oil field, is the latest to ask the Ministry of Oil for permission to build a standalone facility, as the new multi-billion dollar Common Seawater Supply Facility (CSSF) project remains stuck in the conceptual design phase.

The $5 billion first phase of the CSSF, which will provide 4 million bpd of treated water for the management of reservoir pressure, is not expected before the end of 2018 at the earliest, assuming the two contracts for design work are signed immediately.

Platts reports that project management consultants CH2M Hill had been hoping to award the front-end engineering and design (FEED) in the second quarter of 2013 and start the project in the third quarter of 2017, but the company is still waiting for details from the oil ministry, and its subsidiaries South Oil Company (SOC) and State Company for Oil Projects (SCOP), specifying the amounts of water required for each field and the time schedules.

This has been held up by delays to final agreements with the oil companies on their revised plateau targets. For the largest fields -- West Qurna-1 and Rumaila -- new deals were only reached in September, while negotiations are still going on with Shell for the Majnoon oil field.

Complicating matters further is the fact that only two firms are in the running for each of the main FEED contracts -- the US' Parsons for the water treatment plant and Austria's ILF Consulting Engineers for the pipeline contract.

The total cost of the various water schemes is put at more than $10 billion (12 trillion Iraqi dinars).

(Source: Platts)

Gazprom Neft, operator of the Badra oilfield development project (pictured), has appointed a contractor to lay the pipeline connecting the field to the power station in Zubaidiah (Wasit Province). The tender was won by Pakistani company Techno Engineering Services (Pvt.) Ltd.

In line with the contract, Techno Engineering Services will produce the designs, supply the equipment and materials, and carry out construction of the pipeline. First gas transportation via the pipeline, which is almost 100 km in length and has a daily capacity of 4.4 million cubic metres (circa 1.6 billion cubic metres per year), is planned for 2015.

Under Gazprom Neft's contract with the Iraqi government for the development of the Badra oil field, investors are to be compensated for costs related to infrastructure construction.

Gas supply from the Badra oil field will enhance the Zubaidiah power station's daily power output and provide a 24-hour power supply to the city of Kut, which currently has electricity supplied for only 16 hours per day. Some of the extracted gas will be used to provide electricity to the Badra oil fields themselves.

In March Gazprom Neft completed testing on a second well at Badra. The laying and testing of the oil pipeline to the Gharraf oilfield was completed in February, connecting the section to Iraq's main pipeline system. The construction of the first phase of a central gathering station point with a capacity of 60,000 barrels per day is nearing completion. Work has also started on a gas treatment plant with the capacity to process 1.5 billion cubic metres per year.

(Source: Gazprom Neft)

Gazprom Neft has completed laying, testing and connecting a 165 km oil pipeline from the Badra field, which the Company operates in Iraq, to the Gharraf oilfield (Nasiriyah district, Iraq).

With infrastructure already in place at Gharraf, completion of the pipeline from Badra means that the field is now connected to the main Iraqi pipeline system.

The new infrastructure for transporting raw materials from Badra has the capacity to transport 204,000 barrels per day, around 10 million tonnes per year, and can now supply oil to the export terminal at the city of Basra.

The Badra-Gharraf pipeline has two underwater transits, including one crossing the river Tigris, and passes over dozens of canals and irrigation systems. For increased operating security, a system to detect leaks and shut off damaged sections and a power supply system running on solar cells will work along the entire length of the pipleline.

Automated systems ensure constant monitoring of the oil transit and real-time management of the pipeline from the Badra field. Gazprom Neft has successfully completed hydrodynamic testing of all sections of the pipeline and the system has been checked for robustness and integrity.

Gazprom Neft produced its first oil at Badra in December 2013 as part of operating tests on well BD4. Work is currently continuing at the site to develop the infrastructure necessary to launch production, which is scheduled for the first half of 2014.

The construction of a central gathering station (CGS) with a capacity of 170,000 barrels per day is under way. The first CGS line will be coming into operation imminently, with a capacity of 60,000 barrels per day. Work has also started on a complex gas treatment plant (UKPG) with the capacity to handle some 1.5 billion cubic metres per year.

(Source: Gazprom Neft)

Korea's STX Heavy Industries has announced another major contract win in Iraq.

The $99.5-million deal will see the company build a new gas treatment facility at the Gharraf [Garraf] oilfield.

Malaysia’s state oil firm Petronas holds 45 percent of the Gharraf project, Japan Petroleum Exploration (Japex) 30 percent, and Iraq’s North Oil Company (NOC) 25 percent.

STX said that the project is expected to be completed by the end of November 2015.

Earlier this month, the company announced a $449m order to build a 550km pipeline in the Akkas gas field.

(Source: ConstructionWeekOnline)

By John Lee.

National Engineering Services of Pakistan (NESPAK) has set up an office in Iraq, reports The News.

Managing Director Amjad A Khan said that the company has set up its office in Baghdad to deal with the East Gharraf [Gharaf] project awarded by the Ministry of Water Resources.

The project marks the restart of NESPAK operations in Iraq after 23 years, and is aimed at providing sustainable irrigation and drainage facilities to around 390,000 acres of land in Nassiriya and Kut Governorates, between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers.

NESPAK will provide topographic survey and detailed design services for irrigation and drainage networks. The duration of the project is 25 months.

(Source: thenews.com.pk)

(Picture: NESPAK Head Office in Lahore, Pakistan)