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Gulf Keystone appoints New Non-Executive Director

Gulf Keystone Petroleum (GKP) has announced the appointment of Jacobus (“Jaap”) Huijskes as a Non-Executive Director with immediate effect.

Jaap Huijskes was most recently a Director at OMV, the Austrian integrated oil and gas company listed on the Vienna Stock Exchange.

While at OMV, he was responsible for Exploration and Production (E&P) and oversaw the Company’s expansion into new territories. He also played a key role in OMV’s operations in the Kurdistan region of Iraq. 

Prior to this, Mr Huijskes held a number of senior positions at Shell, including Executive Vice President of Upstream Major Projects and Project Director at the Sakhalin Energy Investment Company, which was set up to develop the Sakhalin-II oil and gas project in Russia. He holds a Masters in Mechanical Engineering from Delft University of Technology in The Netherlands.

Mr Huijskes is currently a director of the Dutch state-owned integrated oil and gas company, Energie Beheer Nederland. He was a member of OMV’s Executive Board for E&P between 2010 and 2016.

Keith Lough, Gulf Keystone’s Non-Executive Chairman, said:

“We are pleased to welcome Jaap Huijskes to the Board of Gulf Keystone Petroleum. He has an impressive industry track record in the oil and gas sector, including relevant experience in the Kurdistan region of Iraq.”

(Source: GKP)

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“Unprecedented Upsurge” in Iraqis seeking Second Citizenship

By John Lee.

The escalating tensions between Baghdad and Erbil have triggered an unprecedented upsurge in applications from wealthy Iraqi nationals for second citizenship programs.

Data collected by Savory & Partners, one of the largest companies in the Middle East that provides citizenship-by-investment programs, shows that compared to the same quarter last year, interest has increased by 300 percent, while applications processed are more than 42 percent higher than last year.

Company founder and CEO Jeremy Savory (pictured) told Iraq Business News:

“The immediate days following the Kurdistan referendum saw a remarkable spike in the number of applicants from Iraq, not only from Kurdish Iraqis, but from all parts of Iraq.

“In the past, the Iraqi passport was very strong … but over recent years the number of countries which have visa-free waivers has dropped considerably; hence, the need for second passport that enables people to travel to more countries visa free has seen a great spike.

“We have done Iraqi citizenship applications for Iraqi nationals for all the five Caribbean jurisdictions, all of which have been approved by the government. We have done European citizenship applications for Malta and Cyprus for Iraqi nationals, too.”

Iraqis constitute the company’s third largest client group after Syrians and Lebanese, with St. Kitts, Grenada and Dominica in the three most popular programs with an equal demand for all three programs. The company had only one Iraqi rejection in the last six years out of total of close to 800 passports, a rejection rate of less than 1 percent.

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Mobile Health Teams reach People in Newly Liberated Areas

For more than 3 years, the people of Hawiija [Hawijah] district in Kirkuk governorate, were cut off from lifesaving health care and immunization services, leaving many children susceptible to vaccine-preventable diseases. “For years, I worried that my children may contract polio and measles or die,” said Hadija, a 32-year-old mother of 3.

In September 2017, the district became accessible following military operations launched by the Government of Iraq. WHO, together with Kirkuk Directorate of Health, immediately deployed mobile medical teams to provide immunization services, and health care for people suffering from trauma injuries or chronic disease conditions.

Five mobile medical teams were deployed to Khan, Tal Ali, Abbassi, Masanaa, Al Zab and Ryadh areas. Since then, from mid-September to 15 November 2017, more than 10000 people in Hawiija district have benefited from WHO’s support, including 1563 children vaccinated against childhood immunizable diseases.

Although these newly accessible areas are still security compromised, WHO saw an urgency in delivering health care to thousands of people that had been cut off from aid for years, and whose health was being compromised day by day. Five main health facilities have been partially or completely damaged, in addition to Hawija general hospital. Currently, only the Kirkuk Directorate of Health and WHO-supported frontline health teams are delivering immunization services in these areas.

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Jereh Enters Iraqi Oil Market with Integrated Solutions

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Basra Oil, Gas & Infrastructure is held under the high patronage of the Basra Governorate, the Basra Council and Iraq’s Basra Oil Company from October 30 to 31 in Beirut, Lebanon. Government officials, project stakeholders and buyers and suppliers attend to explore the expanding energy projects in the South of Iraq.

Jereh Group made its debut in the panel discussion about investment. It displayed integrated solutions covering investment, financing, manufacturing, EPC to turnkey delivery under the Belt and Road Initiative. The solutions facilitate the development of local infrastructures and boost the economic growth.

Authoritative reports show that Iraq is OPEC’s second-largest crude oil producer and holds the fifth-largest proved crude oil reserves in the world. And Iraq is developing its oil fields and expanding infrastructure capacity in the south to accommodate more production growth. Large-scale increases in oil production would also require large increases in electric power generation. Significant upgrades to the electricity sector would be needed. To achieve this, reliable partnership and excellent investment and financing solutions are needed.

Johnson Jiang, President of Jereh Mid-East Region, made a keynote speech in front of more than 200 participants representing Basra’s thriving industries. He shared Jereh’s best practice in oil & gas, power and environment industry and what it can bring to the local industries, saying that:

“The China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative offers a unique opportunity for development and social progress among B&R countries. Jereh can provide flexible investment and financing mode to help Iraqi customers build a reliable and secure project. We also collaborate with global partners to provide customers with integrated solutions covering investment and financing, turnkey engineering, technical services and equipment manufacturing.”

Jereh is a preferred partner for the energy industry. Based on technology-driven innovation, a deep understanding of customer requirements, and unique expertise, it is committed to offering customers the optimal solutions and project execution. Jereh has been working with industry-leading International Oil Companies (IOCs) and National Oil Companies (NOCs) on turnkey engineering, well service equipment manufacturing, oilfield services and environmental management.

The company has a large number of implementation cases in Iraq and Middle East area in fields such as natural gas boosting and storage, nitrogen pumping, cementing and coiled tubing for oil production, and oily waste treatment. It also has extensive experience in delivering projects worldwide, supported by its local teams and abundant partners in more than 60 countries and regions.

“With the support of Belt and Road Initiative, Jereh will leverage its experience to conduct more cooperation in a compliant way in Iraq and provide private-sector investment to assist in developing Basra to provide the infrastructure that’s vital to boost the economic growth,” said Johnson.

(Source: Jereh Group)

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#GivingTuesday: Help Iraq’s Street Children

On Tuesday, the Iraqi Children Foundation (ICF) competes with other charities for a share of $75,000 in bonus funds.

The more you give, the more bonus funds we earn for Iraqi orphans, street kids, and children displaced by conflict.

EXTRA BONUS:  New monthly donors are eligible for  a 1-month match.  Sign up for $10, $25, $50, $100 – up to $200 – in monthly giving and get an extra month match.

Still not sure whether to give?  Think of these children (All names changed for privacy):

  • Rana (10) who loved the Hope Bus but still worked on the streets and died after being hit by car;
  • Teenage Hasan who wanted a job to support a poor widowed mother but got targeted by a man trafficking in human organs who wanted his kidney;
  • Noor (13) who worked on the street and was nearly married off by a poor aunt who needed the dowry;
  • Little orphan boys, Khalid and Ali (6 and7), who were exploited by an uncle who forced them to beg on the street.

All of these children – and hundreds more – have been helped by your gifts.   Many more are waiting…

(Source: ICF)

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Japanese Company considers Gas Pipeline and Petchem Plant

By John Lee.

Iraq has reportedly contracted Japan’s Toyo Engineering to help build a gas pipeline to Kuwait and a petrochemical plant as Baghdad.

According to a report from Reuters, the move will help Iraq to reduce flaring and finish paying the reparations owed to Kuwait for the invasion in 1990.

The project would allow Kuwait to reduce its dependency on Qatar as a supplier of gas; deliveries could begin as early as 2019.

It would also deal a blow to Shell, which aimed to be the dominant gas player in Iraq before relations with Baghdad soured following it’s planned exit from the Majnoon oil project.

Toyo told Reuters that talks are ongoing and a final decision has not yet been made.

(Source: Reuters)

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New Oil & Gas Blocks to be offered

By John Lee.

Iraq has invited international oil companies (IOCs) to bid for contracts to explore and develop nine new oil and gas blocks.

The blocks are along the borders with Iran and Kuwait, with one located in the territorial waters.

According to Reuters, the bidding terms will be finalised by the end of May, with bids to be opened on 21st June 21, 2018.

The terms are expected to be different from previous service contracts, which remunerate companies regardless of oil prices fluctuations.

(Sources: Ministry of Oil, Reuters)

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New Pipeline to Export Kirkuk Oil via Ceyhan

By John Lee.

Iraq’s Oil Ministry has announced that it will build a new pipeline from Baiji to Fishkabur, enabling Kirkuk oil to be exported again from Turkey’s Ceyhan port (pictured).

Kirkuk’s oil was previously being exported via the Kurdistan Regional Government’s (KRG) pipeline to Ceyhan, but this has been on hold since Baghdad took control of the area.

Plans to rehabilitate Baghdad’s existing oil pipeline to Turkey, which was badly damaged by militants in 2014, have been scrapped.

(Sourced: Ministry of Oil, Rudaw)

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BP, Eni “interested in Majnoon Oilfield”

By John Lee.

Reuters has reported that both BP and Eni have expressed an interest in developing the giant Majnoon oilfield, which Shell plans to exit next year.

Iraqi oil officials told the news agency that Iraq’s Ministry of Oil has not yet started negotiations with either company.

BP is currently developing the Rumaila field, while Eni operates Zubair.

Shell is expected to hand over Majnoon operations to the state-owned Basra Oil Company by the end of June 2018.

Both Chevron and Total have been previously reported as being interested in taking over the field.

(Source: Reuters)

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BHGE to supply Generators for Halfaya Oilfield

Baker Hughes, a GE company, has signed an agreement for the provision of turbine generators to PetroChina International Iraq, in the biggest Turbomachinery & Process Solutions (TPS) agreement ever between the two companies. 

BHGE will deliver its Frame 6B gas turbine electric generator trains to support power generation for the Halfaya oilfield located in the Maysan Governorate. The equipment will generate 150 MW of power for the project and leverage support from BHGE’s existing local and global workforce. The components of the turbo generator units will be manufactured and assembled at BHGE’s Nuovo Pignone facility in Florence, Italy.

Rami Qasem, President & CEO of MENAT & India, BHGE, said:

“This deal strengthens our local footprint in Iraq and further demonstrates our dedication to the region where we see great promise and have formed strong partnerships through ongoing projects and the development of local skills.

“The provision of our field-proven turbomachinery solutions enables international operators around the globe to safely and stably operate, all while reaching their oil production targets and staying on schedule. This is especially true for this particular contract, as our turbines will provide reliable and efficient energy to the Halfaya field and further support the sustainability of Iraq’s ongoing oil and gas operations.”

BHGE’s Frame 6 turbines are able to operate in extreme conditions and harsh environments across a wide range of applications, and have been proven and tested with more than 55 million operating hours.

The turbines are designed to be fully fuel flexible, possessing the ability to run on a wide range of gas or distillate liquids, including sour gas. This offers valuable cost saving to customers, as the turbines can run on the most economically available fuel for a given operation.  In addition to the Halfaya contract, the turbines have been used in multiple projects in the region.

The Halfaya oilfield was discovered in 1976 with 4.1 billion barrels in reserves and is situated in the southern part of Iraq in the country’s Maysan Governate. The field, operated by PetroChina International Iraq, currently produces approx. 200,000 barrels per day.

This agreement with PetroChina International Iraq further strengthens BHGE’s presence in the country, where it has contributed to several projects, including power generation support for two of Iraq’s largest fields – West Qurna and Rumaila – and retains a local footprint consisting of over 70% Iraqi employees.

BHGE also owns and operates a technical services facility in North Rumaila, which opened in 2013 and was expanded this summer. The facility offers a wide range of testing, repair and refurbishment services and has helped to create local employment opportunities and training for more than 2,000 Iraqi professionals.

(Source: BHGE)