Iraq to Produce 5m cu. meters of Natural Gas in 5 Years
By John Lee. Iraq's Oil Ministry has unveiled its five-year plan for the development of the country’s natural gas riches. Azzaman reports that the plan calls for production of five million cubic meters of gas by the end of the five-year period, with new exploratory blocks up for grabs. An oil ministry spokesman said that […]
Iraq to buy 50,000 Dell PCs for Schools
By John Lee. Thousands of Iraqi schoolchildren are entering classrooms equipped with new Dell technology that will help improve how they access information, and ultimately, work and compete with their peers around the world. This development is the result of a close collaboration between the Iraqi Ministry of Education (MOE) and Dell, who assessed the […]
Chinese Company to Supply Iraqi Railways
By John Lee. The Ministry of Transportation's General Company for Railways has reached an agreement with a Chinese supplier to provide equipment for the Iraqi rail system, according to a report from AIN. Iraq Business News believes the Chinese company is China South Locomotive & Rolling Stock Corporation (CSR). (Source: AIN)
Kurdish-Arab Feud: Russians and Exxon Making Things Worse
By Abdul-Khaleq Dosky. This article was originally published by Niqash. Any opinions expressed are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. The tension between Iraqi Kurdistan and the leadership in Baghdad doesn’t seem to have diminished lately. NIQASH asked the Iraqi Kurdish why the Russians and Exxon […]
Al-Araji: Iraq Needs $1 Trillion to Rebuild
By John Lee. Iraq needs up to $1 trillion over the next 10 years to rebuild its crumbling infrastructure and battered economy, the head of the National Investment Commission (NIC), Sami al-Araji (pictured), said at the Baghdad International Fair. "We are talking about the reconstruction of Iraq, a minimum requirement of money ... is about […]
Iraq Pressures Gazprom to Quit Kurdistan
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%), […]
Ex-Im Bank Approves $35m Loan Guarantee to Devco
By John Lee. The board of the Export-Import Bank of the United States (Ex-Im Bank) voted to guarantee a JPMorgan Chase loan totaling $35 million to Devco International LLC (Devco) of Tulsa, Okla., for the design and construction of a sulfur purification plant in Mosul, Iraq. Ex-Im Bank's financing will support approximately 380 U.S. jobs, […]
Ex Central Bank Chief Accuses Govt
By John Lee. Sinan al-Shabibi (pictured), the former head Iraq's Central Bank who was removed for suspected mismanagement and currency manipulation, has dismissed the charges against him as baseless and trumped up. Speaking to AFP, he said authorities had compromised the bank's independence to access its reserves, adding that the government had been "spoiled" by […]
GKP Up on Oil Find in Kurdistan
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 […]
Petrofac JV Wins $229m Contract at Rumaila
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 […]
OMV Comments on Kurdistan Operations
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 […]
Dubai Chamber to Open Office in Kurdistan
By John Lee. Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry is to set up representative office in Iraqi Kurdistan next yea, the chamber's chairman has announced. Abdul Rahman Saif Al Ghurair said: "The new office will help boost the presence of Dubai businesses in the Northern region of Iraq as the country was the second largest […]