Nassiriyah Hospital Fire: Arrest Warrants Issued

By John Lee.

Authorities in Iraq are facing accusations of negligence following the fire at the al-Hussein coronavirus hospital in Nassiriyah on Monday.

Estimates of the death toll range from 60 to over 100, with more than 100 people injured.

The fire is believed to have started when sparks from faulty wiring caused an oxygen tank to explode.

Arrest warrants have been issued for several officials.

(Sources: Reuters, BBC, The New Arab)

The post Nassiriyah Hospital Fire: Arrest Warrants Issued first appeared on Iraq Business News.

Iraq Invests to Boost Nasiriyah Oil Field

By John Lee.

Oil Minister Jabar Ali al-Luaibi [Allibi, Luiebi] has ordered the state-run Dhi Qar Oil Company (DQOC) and Iraq Drilling Company (IDC) to develop the Nasiriyah oil field in Dhi Qar province.

He said the Ministry has budgeted $140 million to raise production from the current 90,000 barrels per day (bpd) to 200,000 bpd within a year.

The field has estimated reserves of 4.4 billion barrels of oil.

It was originally offered as part of a larger project, known as the Nasiriyah Integrated Project (NIP), which would include the contruction of a 300,000 bpd refinery.

In January 2018, Iraq dropped the NIP, saying it will rely on a newly formed state oil company to develop the Nassiriya oil field, and leaving only the nearby refinery project for investors.

(Source: Ministry of Oil)

Total may Bid for Nassirya Oil Refinery

By John Lee.

France’s Total is said to be interested in bidding to build the greenfield 150,000-bpd Nassirya oil refinery.

The Director General of the Dhi Qar Oil Company (DQOC), Ali Warid Hammood, told Reuters at the CWC Iraq Petroleum Conference in Berlin that bids are still open for the project, and that international oil companies interested in the project would be bidding as refiners only.

The project was initially offered as part of the Nassiriya Integrated Project (NIP), tying it to oilfield development. In January 2018, Iraq dropped the NIP, saying it will rely on a newly formed state oil company to develop the Nassiriya oil field, and leaving only the nearby refinery project for investors.

Hammood confirmed to Reuters that DQOC will develop the field by itself.

It is currently producing 80,000-100,000 barrels of oil per day, with plans to double capacity within three years.

(Source: Reuters)

Petrofac Wins Iraq Contract with KOGAS

UK-based Petrofac has been awarded a Front End Engineering Design (FEED) modification contract for the KOGAS AKKAS B.V. Nasiriya Gas Treatment Plant (GTP) in southern Iraq.

Petrofac’s scope of work includes the modification and application of an existing field design to meet the needs of the Nasiriya GTP, and an estimation for the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) costs in line with the revised design requirements.

Steve Webber, Senior Vice President, Engineering & Production Services East, said:

This award is testament to our engineering design capabilities, as well as our deep understanding of the market and supply chain in Iraq. KOGAS is a new client for us in a core market and we look forward to further developing our relationship through the successful delivery of this scope.

“Throughout the project, we will provide a robust FEED package for the execution of the Nasiriya GTP in alignment with KOGAS’ expectations, to ensure that it can maximise the total value of the field.

(Source: Petrofac)