Iraq to launch third bid round for gas fields: MEES
Sunday, April 18, 2010
DUBAI: Iraq plans to launch a third bid round to develop three non-associated natural gas fields, the Middle East Economic Survey newsletter quoted Iraqi officials as saying.
�We have decided last week to launch a third round, this time for gas,� Abdelmahdi al-Amidi, director general of the oil ministry�s petroleum contracting and licensing directorate, told MEES. �We are in the first stage of planning and there has been no decision on a timeline,� Amidi was quoted as saying in the oil and gas newsletter�s latest issue, which is to appear on Monday. Last year, Iraq awarded contracts to international oil majors to develop 10 large oil fields in an attempt to ramp up its crude production capacity to 12 million barrels per day by 2017, from around 2.5 million bpd now. Combined, the three gas fields have over 7.5 trillion cubic feet (210 billion cubic metres) of proven free gas reserves. They are the 4.5 tcf (trillion cubic feet) Akkaz field in the western province of Anbar, the Mansuriya field in Diyala with three tcf and Sibba field in Basra with 60 billion cubic feet, MEES said, adding that 15 firms have been pre-qualified and invitations will be issued soon.
Sunday, April 18, 2010
DUBAI: Iraq plans to launch a third bid round to develop three non-associated natural gas fields, the Middle East Economic Survey newsletter quoted Iraqi officials as saying.
�We have decided last week to launch a third round, this time for gas,� Abdelmahdi al-Amidi, director general of the oil ministry�s petroleum contracting and licensing directorate, told MEES. �We are in the first stage of planning and there has been no decision on a timeline,� Amidi was quoted as saying in the oil and gas newsletter�s latest issue, which is to appear on Monday. Last year, Iraq awarded contracts to international oil majors to develop 10 large oil fields in an attempt to ramp up its crude production capacity to 12 million barrels per day by 2017, from around 2.5 million bpd now. Combined, the three gas fields have over 7.5 trillion cubic feet (210 billion cubic metres) of proven free gas reserves. They are the 4.5 tcf (trillion cubic feet) Akkaz field in the western province of Anbar, the Mansuriya field in Diyala with three tcf and Sibba field in Basra with 60 billion cubic feet, MEES said, adding that 15 firms have been pre-qualified and invitations will be issued soon.