Category: Oil News

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Oil Ministry Finalises Export Figures for January

By John Lee.

Iraq’s Ministry of Oil has announced final oil exports for January of 102,485,591 barrels, giving an average for the month of 3.306 million barrels per day (bpd), down from the 3.428 million bpd exported in December.

These exports from the oilfields in central and southern Iraq amounted to 101,062,366 barrels, while exports from Kirkuk amounted to 1,114,035 barrels. Exports to Jordan were 309,190 barrels.

Revenues for the month were $6.163 billion at an average price of $60.139 per barrel.

December export figures can be found here.

(Source: Ministry of Oil)

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Ambassador meets Russian Deputy Minister of Energy

The Ambassador of Iraq in Moscow, Mr. Abdul-Rahman Hamid Al-Hussaini, met with the Russian Deputy Minister of Energy, Mr. Pavel Sorokin to discuss bilateral cooperation in the fields of energy (oil, gas, and electricity).

Ambassador Al-Hussaini stressed Iraq’s keenness to develop relations with the Russian Federation in the energy sector and provide support to Russian companies working in it, noting the importance of increasing Russian investments to serve the interests of the two friendly countries.

Ambassador Al-Hussaini stated that the embassy will support all Russian companies willing to work in Iraq, and will work to provide facilities with the responsible authorities in Iraq.

The two sides discussed the possibility of employing Iraqi graduates from universities with engineering specializations in the fields of energy in Russian companies operating in Iraq.

The two sides also discussed the dangers of the Coronavirus and its impact on the energy market, as well as bilateral cooperation on stabilizing oil prices in global markets.

(Source: Ministry of Foreign Affairs)

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Russia may Triple Investment in Iraqi Oil

By John Lee.

Investment by Russian oil and gas companies in Iraq may increase three-fold, according to a report by Tass.

It quotes Russian politician Yury Fedorov [Nikolay Vasilyevich Fyodorov] as telling the Iraqi Ambassador to Russia, Abdul-Rahman Al-Husseini, that the total investment in Iraq by companies such as Lukoil, Bashneft and Gazprom Neft has exceeded $10 billion, and that this could triple.

“Our companies such as Zarubezhneft, Tatneft and Rosneftegaz also show a high degree of interest,” he added.

(Source: Tass)

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Iraq “likely” to get New Waiver for Iran Gas Imports

By Bryant Harris for Al Monitor. Any opinions expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News.

Iraq likely to continue importing Iranian natural gas under US waiver renewal

Iraqi officials have indicated that the United States is likely to renew a key Iran sanctions waiver that will allow Baghdad to continue importing Iranian natural gas to fuel its electricity needs, the AP reported.

The three-month waiver is set to expire Thursday.

Iraq relies on Iranian imports to meet the lion’s share of its electricity needs in the face of shortages that have helped provoke widespread protests in recent years.

Click here to read the full article.

(Picture credit: Tasnim, under Creative Commons licence)

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Iran’s $1.4bn Deal for Oilfields near Iraq Border

By John Lee.

The National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC) has agreed a $1.4-billion deal to develop two oilfields in Khuzestan, near the border with Iraq.

The National Iranian South Oil Company (NISOC) and Iran’s MAPNA Group signed a ten-year contract within the IPC framework, to improve the recovery rate, increase production and exploitation of the Parsi and Paranj fields.

According to the NIOC, the deal aims to achieve a maximum production of 85000 barrels of oil per day and an additional cumulative production of about 121 million barrels, with an estimated direct capital cost of $ 876.6 million and an indirect cost of $ 235.3 million. Also the cost of exploitation is estimated at $ 269 million.

Work description of this contract includes upgrading and construction of surface installations (operation unit, desalination, gas pressure collecting and boosting facilities, gas injection facilities, flow and transmission pipelines and other related facilities), drilling of new wells and repairing existing wells, split layer operation, gas lift operation, drilling and EOR studies, piloting EOR plans, human resources training, technology transfer, and research and development.

Implementing this plan while increasing the crude oil production capacity of the country, will create widespread employment opportunities in Khuzestan province and also a favorable job market.

Parsi oil field is located in ​​South Dezful, about 125 kilometers from Ahvaz and Paranj Square is located between Karanj and Parsi fields, 75 kilometers from Behbahan and 40 kilometers from Ramhormoz.

(Source: NIOC)

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Oil Production Falls at Garraf Field

By John Lee.

Production at the Garraf [Gharraf] oil field in southern Iraq has reportedly fallen to an average of around 93,000 barrels per day (bpd) in January.

According to S&P Global Platts, officials from Japan Petroleum Exploration (JAPEX) said on Monday that the drop was due to delays in drilling works.

It added that takeholders remained committed to increasing output to 230,000 bpd by the end of 2020.

Japex, which has a 35-percent stake in the field, issued results for the nine months to the end of December on Monday – see here and here.

(Source: S&P Global Platts)

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Iraq to Cut Production at Nahr Bin Umar

By John Lee.

The Basra Oil Company (BOC) will reportedly reduce production at the Nahr Bin Umar oilfield due to pollution and gas emissions.

Director General Ihsan Abduljabbar [Ihsan Abdul Jabbar Ismail] is quoted as saying that the field is considered one of Iraq’s most controversial because of pollution and gas emissions.

(Source: Reuters)

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Video: Iraq Struggles to switch to LPG

From Al Jazeera. Any opinions expressed are those of the authors, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News.

Iraq struggles to switch from use of imported fuel to national gas

The Iraqi government is trying to get people to switch from imported fuel to locally produced gas.

All new public transport vehicles must run on liquefied petroleum gas or LPG.

But despite awareness campaigns and government subsidy, users are reluctant to move away from traditional fuel.

Al Jazeera‘s Osama Bin Javaid reports from Baghdad:

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DNO reports Record Revenues and Production

DNO ASA, the Norwegian oil and gas operator, today reported interim 2019 revenues of USD 971 million, the highest in the Company’s 48-year history, on the back of acquisitions and a record drilling campaign driving a 28 percent year-on-year increase in Company Working Interest (CWI) production to 104,800 barrels of oil equivalent per day (boepd). Net profit last year stood at USD 74 million.

The Company exited 2019 with a cash balance of USD 486 million and USD 145 million in marketable securities.  The cash balance excludes two delayed export payments totaling USD 107 million net to DNO received from the Kurdistan Regional Government in 2020.

In January 2020, DNO completed a buyback program of up to 10 percent of own shares, having acquired 108,381,415 shares at a weighted average price of NOK 10.61 per share (for a total cost of USD 129 million). The Board of Directors has called for an Extraordinary General Meeting later this month to seek shareholder approval to cancel the treasury shares.

The Board of Directors also plans to approve distribution of the next semi-annual dividend of NOK 0.20 per share in March 2020, following which DNO will have returned USD 200 million to shareholders since August 2018.

Last year, the Company delivered its largest ever annual drilling program with 36 wells drilled or spudded across its portfolio, of which 24 were development/infill and 12 exploration/appraisal wells. Planned operational spend (capital and exploration expenditures plus lifting costs) will remain high in 2020 at USD 650 million.

In Kurdistan, gross production from the two fields in the DNO-operated Tawke license climbed to 124,000 barrels of oil per day (bopd) in 2019 (87,400 bopd CWI), up from 113,100 bopd in 2018 (79,700 bopd CWI). Average production of 122,800 bopd in the fourth quarter of 2019 was up 3,000 bopd from the previous quarter. In November 2019, the Company reported a discovery in its operated Baeshiqa license, with the well now undergoing a workover prior to resumption of acid stimulation and testing of remaining reservoirs to assess commerciality.

Through acquisition of Faroe Petroleum plc, the Company added North Sea production of 17,400 boepd in 2019. Average production of 19,000 boepd in the fourth quarter of 2019 was up 4,100 boepd from the previous quarter. The Company was awarded 10 licenses in Norway’s Awards in Predefined Areas (APA) 2019 licensing round adding to the 87 licenses already held in Norway and 15 across the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and Ireland. Of these licenses, 28 are on production (13 fields) and the balance in various stages of evaluation, exploration and development.

The Peshkabir-to-Tawke gas gathering and reinjection project designed to increase oil recovery rates at Tawke while eliminating flaring at Peshkabir will be completed in spring 2020. Once completed, CO2 emissions from DNO’s operated Kurdistan fields are expected to drop to around 7 kilograms per barrel, compared to an industry average of about 9 kilograms per barrel in Norway and about 18 kilograms per barrel globally.

(Source: DNO)

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Fmr UK Defence Minister joins Genel Energy Board

Genel Energy has announced the appointment of David McManus as Chairman with immediate effect.

Sir Michael Fallon (pictured) has been appointed as senior independent Non-Executive Director, and Tolga Bilgin and Hassan Gozal have also been appointed to the Board as Non-Executive Directors.

David McManus has more than 40 years of experience in the oil and gas industry, having held various executive roles at Pioneer Natural Resources, BG Group, ARCO, Ultramar, and Shell. He is currently serving as a Non-Executive Director at Hess Corporation, a large, integrated US oil and gas company; FlexLNG, a Norwegian listed LNG shipping company; and Costain Group PLC, one of the UK’s leading smart infrastructure solutions companies. Previous directorships include Rockhopper Exploration plc and Northern Drilling Limited.

Sir Michael Fallon has 30 years of senior political and business experience, serving in four British Cabinets, and as Non-Executive Director on City and commercial boards. He was MP for Sevenoaks from 1997 to 2019, serving as Energy Minister responsible for the oil and gas sector from 2013 to 2014 and as Secretary of State for Defence from 2014 to 2017.

Sir Michael will act as Senior Independent Director, Deputy Chairman and Chairman of the International Relations Committee. George Rose is remaining at Genel as an independent Non-Executive Director and Chairman of the Audit Committee.

Tolga Bilgin has been CEO of Bilgin Energy Holding, and its subsidiaries, since 2014. Bilgin Energy Holding is a pioneer and a leading Turkish energy firm, that owns, operates and sells electricity from wind, natural gas, and hydroelectric projects, and is a major shareholder of Genel.

Hassan Gozal is Chairman of Daax Corporation, a Dubai based company with investments in a wide range of sectors, notably energy and oil, oil and gas trading, construction, and property development with significant Middle Eastern experience, including the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. Daax Corporation is a major shareholder of Genel.

As a temporary result of these appointments, the majority of the Board (excluding the Chairman) is not independent. It is the intention of the Board to appoint one further independent Director to return to an equal balance of independent versus non-independent Directors as soon as reasonably practicable.

George Rose, Non-Executive Director of Genel, said:

“I am delighted to welcome David to the Board. He has vast experience which will help guide the Company through the next phase in our development, as we build our operating capability and seek material growth. The appointments today bring significant industry and international expertise, with experience of operating, investing, and delivering major projects in the region.”

David McManus, Chairman of Genel, said:

“Genel has built a portfolio with a compelling mix of cash-generation and funded growth options. I look forward to working with the Board as the Company continues to deliver on its strategy, enters an exciting new chapter, and strives to take advantage of the significant opportunities ahead.”

(Source: Genel Energy)