Page 11 - MEOG Week 17 2022

MEOG PROJECTS & COMPANIES MEOG

IDC begins well drilling

campaign at Nasiriyah

IRAQ THE state-owned Iraqi Drilling Co. (IDC) this around 70,000 barrels per day (bpd), produced
week announced that it had kicked off a 20-well from the Mishrif formation, though production
drilling campaign at the Nasiriyah oilfield in over the last two years has been hamstrung by
Iraq’s southern Dhi Qar governorate. Baghdad’s efforts to comply with OPEC+ output
IDC’s general manager Basem Abdul Karim restrictions. The field has estimated reserves of
said that “technical and engineering staff in the 4bn barrels.
Iraqi Drilling Company began drilling work for In a statement, DQOC closed operations for
the first well within the project to drill 20 oil wells a week owing to safety concerns about its work-
in the Nasiriyah oilfield.” force amid reports of violent protests across the
He added that the company is carrying out governorate by university graduates demanding
the project with US services firm Weatherford job opportunities.
for Dhi Qar Oil Co. (DQOC), the regional sub- Prior to the shutdown, members of the
sidiary of the Iraqi National Oil Co. (INOC). al-Bedor tribe had staged protests at Nasiri-
Abdul Karim said that “drilling operations yah’s gas isolation station at Kati’ah, demanding
have started using modern drilling rigs”, noting employment and the establishment of a new
that they will be drilled to a planned depth of military regiment that will employ those with-
2,200 metres. He added that IDC has allocated out qualifications.
“four modern devices with specific horsepower DQOC also oversees the development of the
capabilities to implement this project in a period Subba field and has been in discussions with US
of time not exceeding 18 months”. major Chevron for oil exploration elsewhere in
Nasiriyah was shut in during February the governorate, though talks were paused in
after protesters blocked workers’ access to the February until a new government is appointed
site. Capacity at the field is believed to stand at in Baghdad.™

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