Page 4 - MEOG Week 36 2022

MEOG COMMENTARY MEOG

Iraq keeps drilling

as output rises

Iraq’s oil production has risen marginally as drilling continues, but
technical issues with loading facilities have constrained exports.

IRAQ THE Iraqi Drilling Co. (IDC) is maintaining its sabotage and terrorist operations,” according to
momentum in support of the country’s ambi- Abdul Karim.
tious upstream production targets, this week Khabbaz, which is understood to be capa-
WHAT: completing another well at the Khabbaz oilfield ble of producing around 25,000 barrels per day
The state drilling firm in Kirkuk Governorate. The update comes as (bpd), is among several northern fields operated
continues to pursue a oil production grew last month, but shipments by NOC under state control, along with the Baba
broad drilling programme continue to be constrained by issues expanding and Jambur assets. In late 2020, bombs were det-
to support the Ministry export facilities. onated at the field, targeting two wells and reduc-
of Oil’s ambitious output ing output by around 4,000 bpd.
expansion targets. IDC update IDC has 43 drilling and workover rigs in
The company’s director-general, Bassim Abdul operation across Iraqi oilfields.
WHY: Karim, said that IDC’s technical and engineering In early August, the company completed
Oil production edged staff have completed workover operations on the workover operations at five wells in the West
upwards in August, field’s well number 38. Qurna-1 (two) and Zubair (three) oilfields, while
but while the trend This is the seventh of 10 that IDC is carry- drilling campaigns have been dedicated to less
is positive, getting it ing out workover activities on for state-owned mature assets.
to market is proving operator North Oil Co. (NOC), a subsidiary of In July, it completed the first well of a 20-well
difficult. the Iraqi National Oil Co. (INOC). As with the programme at Nasiriyah oilfield in the southern
other wells, he said that the 1,500-horsepower Dhi Qar Governorate. Abdul Karim said that
WHAT NEXT: IDC 206 rig had been used for the work, noting the company’s technical and engineering staff
Work remains ongoing to that the workover work supports NOC’s efforts had completed well 48 in collaboration with US
rehabilitate and expand to resume production from the well. services firm Weatherford on behalf of the Dhi
southern export terminals The 10-well drilling campaign began in Jan- Qar Oil Co. (DQOC), another INOC subsidiary.
which are crucial to uary, when IDC drilled well 39, an operation He noted that the well was drilled using the
monetising crude. which included “lowering the subsurface con- IDC 44 rig, which is one of four units allocated to
trol valves to restart the well and preserve it from carry out the drilling programme over a period

P4 www. NEWSBASE .com Week 36 07•September•2022