Page 4 - MEOG Week 46 2022

MEOG COMMENTARY MEOG

Iraq maintains upstream progress

More upstream progress was announced by Iraq this week as its state
oil firms and their partners work to ramp up capacity and reserve levels.

IRAN STATE-OWNED China National Offshore Oil discovered as part of a nationwide campaign in
Corp. (CNOOC) this week reported that output 2012. The most high-profile of these is known
from its fields in Iraq’s Maysan Governorate had as Dima.
WHAT: reached its highest level, while another well was
CNOOC has reached completed at the Nassiriyah oilfield. Nassiriyah well
an all-time production CNOOC was quoted by Chinese local press Meanwhile, IDC continues to be busy across
high from Maysan as saying that production from the Abu Ghi- Iraq’s oil assets, announcing this week the com-
Governorate, while rab, Buzurgan and Faqqa oilfields – for which pletion of another well at the Nassiriyah oilfield.
IDC keeps drilling at it signed a 20-year technical service contract In a statement given to the Iraqi News Agency
Nassiriyah. (TSC) with Turkish Petroleum Corp. (TPAO) in (INA), IDC’s director-general Basem Abdul
2011 – had exceeded 300,000 barrels per day, up Karim said: “The technical and engineering staff
WHY: from 80,000 bpd in 2010. By the end of October, in the Iraqi Drilling Co. have completed drilling
Iraq is looking to add cumulative output from the assets had surpassed operations for the Nasiriyah 49 oil well in Dhi
to its reserves and is 1bn barrels. Qar Governorate.”
working to increase oil The expansion comes as the state-owned He added: “The well is the fifth that the com-
production capacity by Iraqi Drilling Co. (IDC) proceeds with work pany has accomplished within the contract with
another 2mn bpd. on a 150-well drilling campaign for CNOOC at the Dhi Qar Oil Co. to drill 20 oil wells in the
Buzurgan. Nassiriyah oilfield in co-operation with Weath-
WHAT NEXT: Total output from the so-called Missan oil- erford to provide oil services,” referring to a col-
Exploration efforts are fields cluster, which comprises 12 producing laboration that has resulted in several wells being
heading offshore and assets, is currently yielding around 580,000 bpd. drilled in recent months. Abdul Karim reported
along national borders The 4.1bn-barrel Halfaya field accounts for the in October that well 51 had been completed,
with Iran, Kuwait, Saudi bulk where state-owned Maysan Oil Co. (MOC) while well 48 was completed in July.
Arabia and Syria. and its partner China National Petroleum Corp. He said that the latest well was drilled using
(CNPC) subsidiary PetroChina are producing the IDC 43 rig, which will be relocated to begin
340,000 bpd while working to increase gas out- work on the Nassiriyah 53 well.
put to 300mn cubic feet (8.5mn cubic metres) Nasiriyah was shut in during February
per day. The remainder comes from Abu Ghirab, after protesters blocked workers’ access to the
Amarah, Buzurgan, Faqqa and Noor. site. Capacity at the field is believed to stand at
The cluster also contains undeveloped fields, around 70,000 bpd, produced from the Mishrif
including Al-Dujaila, Ali Al-Gharbi, Al-Haw- formation, though production over the last two
izeh, Al-Rifai and Kumait, as well as structures years has been hamstrung by Baghdad’s efforts

P4 www. NEWSBASE .com Week 46 16•November•2022