By Simon Watkins, for OilPrice.com. Any opinions expressed are those of the author(s), and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. Why The U.S. Is Racing To Lock Down Iraq's Most Explosive Geopolitical Gas Prize Sharing its eastern border with Iran, its northern border with Turkey, its western border with Syria and […]
By John Lee. Iraq's Ministry of Oil has announced a long-term plan to raise production at the Akkas gas field to 400 million standard cubic feet per day (MMscfd), with an interim target of 143 MMscfd by mid-2027. A meeting with a delegation from US company ConocoPhillips is expected in Baghdad to discuss implementation of […]
By John Lee. The US Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has designated Iraq's Deputy Minister of Oil, Ali Maarij Al-Bahadly, along with several other individuals and businesses, as part of a sanctions action targeting what it describes as the exploitation of Iraq's oil sector to benefit Iran and Iran-aligned militias. The Treasury said […]
By John Lee. A new hydrocarbon discovery has been made at the Qurnain exploration block in southwest Iraq, marking the first oil find at any block awarded under the fifth supplementary and sixth licensing rounds. The discovery was confirmed following the drilling of exploratory well Shams-11, which began on 10th January 2026. A potential hydrocarbon […]
By John Lee. The Iraqi Oil Exploration Company has completed a 2D seismic survey at the Qarnain block in Najaf province, finishing 31 days ahead of the scheduled timeline. The survey covered 2,850 kilometres and recorded 47,500 energy points, achieving a completion rate of 108 per cent. Work began on 10 October 2025 and concluded […]
By John Lee. A contract has been signed to drill 17 horizontal wells in the East Baghdad South oil field, as part of ongoing development efforts in Iraq's central region. The agreement was concluded between Iraqi Drilling Company (IDC) and Chinese firm EBS Petroleum [Zhenhua Oil], in the presence of Midland Oil Company Director General Mohammed […]
By John Lee. Iraq's Oil Exploration Company has reported significant progress on a two-dimensional seismic survey programme north of Fallujah in Anbar province. The project, conducted for Midland Oil Company, forms part of the Ministry of Oil's plans to expand geological and geophysical data to support oil and gas exploration. According to the company, more […]
By John Lee. China Oil HBP Science & Technology Co., Ltd. has signed an EPCOM [Engineer, Procure Construct, Operate and Maintain] contract worth $225,218,000 for the Naft Khana oilfield rehabilitation project with NK Petroleum Company Limited and its Iraq branch. The contract covers engineering, procurement, construction, operation and maintenance services aimed at restoring crude oil […]
By John Lee. The longest horizontal oil well ever drilled in Iraq has been completed at the East Baghdad oil field, southern area. The project was delivered by the Midland Oil Company in cooperation with the Chinese firm EBS Petroleum [Zhenhua Oil] and involved the drilling of the horizontal well EBMK-8-1H. The well reached a total […]
By John Lee. Firefighting and safety teams from the Midland Oil Company have assisted in extinguishing a fire at a private asphalt plant east of Baghdad. The incident occurred around four kilometres from the S2 site within the East Baghdad oil field, southern area, in the Kargouliya district. The company's teams responded as part of […]
By John Lee. Drilling operations have begun at the Akkas gas field in Anbar province as part of efforts to expand domestic gas production and support power generation. The project has entered an initial fast-track production phase with capacity of 100 million standard cubic feet of gas per day, with subsequent phases planned to raise […]
By John Lee. Construction has begun on a new field operations centre at the Naft Khana oilfield in Diyala province, marking a new phase of development for the project. The facility is being developed under a contract signed during Iraq's fifth licensing round between Midland Oil Company (MdOC) and the Chinese firm Geo-Jade, which covers […]
