LUKOIL has started a 2D seismic survey at Block 10 in the south of Iraq. 2000 linear kilometers of seismic surveys will be completed by the BGP Inc. geophysical company within 16 months. The Mandatory Geologic Exploration Program at Block 10 is scheduled to take five years with a potential 2-year extension and includes drilling […]
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 […]
Russia's Gazprom Neft has increased its estimated costs for the Badra oil field to about US $3 billion, reports Bloomberg, citing a bond prospectus recently issued by its parent company. The company had previously forecast costs at about $2 billion. The field is being developed by Gazprom as lead partner (30% stake), along with Korea’s […]
The Weir Group has announced it has signed a contract with LUKOIL to provide general maintenance services for the West Qurna-2 oilfield in Southern Iraq. The agreement, which is for two years and is estimated to be worth a total ofUS$98m (£59m), will see Weir engineers deliver mechanical, electrical, maintenance and pipeline services for the […]
By John Lee. Gazprom Neft, operator of the Badra oilfield, has reported the successful completion of well-testing at its BD4 appraisal well at the end of December, 2013. Potential production capacity was tested through the sequential testing of six drilled strata, followed by final testing of all pay horizons concurrently. A daily natural flow rate […]
By John Lee. Russia's Gazprom Neft has picked a contractor to drill six production wells in the Badra field in Iraq which it operates. China’s Zhongman Petroleum and Natural Gas Group Co., Ltd (ZPEC) has won the tender. The contract includes engineering, procurement and drilling of wells. Two rigs will start drilling in March 2014. […]
By John Lee. World Tribune reports that Iraq has received its first shipment of Russian Mi-35 attack helicopters. Part of a $4.3-billion deal with the Kremlin, the helicopters are regarded as some of the most advanced in the Russian military. “Iraq expects to see a consignment of around 40 Mi-35 and Mi-28NE attack helicopters by the […]
By John Lee. China Petrochemical Corporation, also known as Sinopec, is still unable to participate in projects in central and southern Iraq four years after it acquired a project in northern Kurdistan, reports the Wall Street Journal. The company held talks with Russia's Lukoil about jointly developing the West Qurna-2 oil field, but Lukoil's chief […]
By John Lee. Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari held a meeting with the Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Russia, Mr. Ilya Murgunov, on 7th October. During the meeting, they discussed strengthening relations between the two countries and the results of discussions with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Russia, Mr. Sergei Lavrov, recently in New York […]
By John Lee. Andrei Kuzyayev [Andrey Kuzyaev] (pictured), head of Lukoil's overseas operations, has said that Lukoil plans to reach commercial levels of oil production at West Qurna-2 in the first quarter of 2014, and is interested in participating in the Kirkuk oilfield in northern Iraq. He told Reuters: "There are no infrastructure risks [in […]
The first group students have completed their studies in the training center of LUKOIL Overseas Mid-East Ltd., LUKOIL's operating company for West Qurna-2 project, in Basra province. 170 Iraqi nationals who have completed a 1.5 year training program were immediately assigned to different facilities of West Qurna-2 field depending on their obtained qualifications, including well […]
By John Lee. Iraq has selected five additional international oil companies to bid for the development of its $4.4-billion Nassiriya oil field and the construction of a new 300,000 bpd refinery, reports Reuters. The companies added to the list are: France's Maurel et Prom; Russia's Rosneft; Essar UAE India; South Korea's GS Engineering & Construction […]
