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Iraq could surpass Saudi Arabia in Oil Production

By Padraig O’Hannelly.

A senior oil executive has predicted that Iraq could surpass Saudi Arabia as an oil producer.

Addressing delegates at CWC‘s Iraq Petroleum conference in London, Majid Jafar (pictured), CEO of Sharjah-based Crescent Petroleum, said:

“Iraq is hugely underexplored. We at Crescent know of 300 structures just in the Western Desert that have yet to be drilled, so I for one believe that Iraq has a lot of potential, and I wouldn’t be surprised if it becomes the largest producer in OPEC during my career.”

Crescent Petroleum has an interest in the Khor Mor field in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, and has signed initial contracts to develop the oil fields of Gilabat-Qumar (in Diyala), Khashim Ahmer-Injana (in Diyala), and Khudher Al-Mai [Khider al-Mai] (in Basra and Muthana).

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Production to Increase at Al Faihaa Oilfield

By John Lee.

Oil production in the Al Faihaa area (Block 9) in Basra is reportedly expected to increase in the coming year with increasing investment.

Dragon Oil CEO Ali Al Jarwan told Oil & Gas Middle East that the company plans to increase production in Iraq to 100,000 barrels per day (bpd) by 2025.

(Source: Oil & Gas Middle East)

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Iraq Britain Business Council welcomes 4 New Members

By John Lee.

The Iraq Britain Business Council (IBBC) has welcomed four new members, bringing its membership to 71 companies:

Crescent Petroleum: Sharjah-based Crescent Petroleum is the only foreign oil and gas company to maintain a continuous presence in Iraq for three decades, and is the largest private oil and gas investor in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq.

Sardar Trading Agencies (STA): One of the core companies of Sardar Group, with more than 50 years of experience in the Iraqi private business field, mainly in the automotive segment.

Stirling Education: The Luxembourg-based company is committed to providing excellent affordable education and pastoral care for students in Iraq. Across Iraq, they have around 17,000 students, 42 schools and two university campuses.

Tube Tech International: UK-based Tube Tech is a world leader in the removal of fouling from refinery, petrochemical and energy process assets.

(Source: IBBC)

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Pearl Petroleum to Raise Funding for Kurdistan Investment

By John Lee.

Pearl Petroleum is reportedly planning to raise additional funding for its drilling and development in Iraqi Kurdistan,

According to Reuters, Patrick Allman-Ward, the chief executive of Dana Gas, which is the majority owner of Pearl Petroleum, told reporters that the funding will “comprise a mix of bank debt, a bond, Exim bank financing as well as contractor and vendor financing.”

The company is developing that Khor Mor and Chemchemal gas fields in Iraqi Kurdistan.

(Source: Reuters)

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Dana Gas doubles Sales in Iraqi Kurdistan

By John Lee.

Sharjah-based Dana Gas has announces that during Q1 2019, Pearl Petroleum has received $112 million (AED 411mm) from the sale of condensate, LPG and gas in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI).

Dana Gas is a 35% shareholder in Pearl Petroleum and accordingly, its share of such receipts by Pearl Petroleum is $39 million (AED 143mm).

This presents a 117% increase compared to the Company’s Q1 2018 share of collections which stood at $18 million. As of today, Pearl Petroleum has no overdue receivables in the KRI.

Dr Patrick Allman-Ward, CEO of Dana Gas, said:

“We have had a very positive start to year in the KRI. Our debottlenecking project which we completed in October 2018 has increased our production output by 30% to 400 MMscf/d. We have begun to see the impact of the additional production on our Q1 collection, which has doubled.”

In February of this year, Pearl Petroleum signed a new 20-year Gas Sales Agreement (GSA) with the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) to enable production and sales of an additional 250 MMscf/d. The Consortium aims to bring this production on-stream by 2021 as part of their expansion plans to raise output from the current 400 MMscf/day to 650 MMscf/day in 2021, and then to 900 MMscf/day by 2022.

(Source: Dana Gas)

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Dana Gas Boosts Production in Kurdistan

By John Lee.

Sharjah-based Dana Gas has announced that its average production for Q1 2019 has increased by 6% year-on-year to 68,700 boepd from 65,000 boepd in Q1 2018.

The first quarter production increase was led by the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI), which leapt to 32,750 boepd in Q1 2019 from 26,300 boepd in Q1 2018.

This increase was principally due to additional production from the completed debottlenecking project that came on-stream in October 2018 and took gas production in the KRI from 300 MMscf/d to 400 MMscf/d, an increase of over 30%.

On a quarter by quarter comparison, Q1 2019 production grew by 5% from Q4 2018, reflecting the increase in production from the KRI and supported by having brought the Balsam-8 well in Egypt on-stream in Q4.

Dr Patrick Allman-Ward, CEO, Dana Gas, said:

“The two major growth projects completed in 2018 – the debottlenecking project in the KRI and the Balsam-8 well in Egypt – have proven to be materially value accretive both operationally and financially. 

“Our production numbers are up 6% in the first quarter 2019 and we expect this increase in production to have a positive impact on the Company’s revenues since we are now realising gas sales in the KRI and we will be benefiting from the steady increase in oil prices since Q4 2018.“

(Source: Dana Gas)

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$700m Investment in Kurdistan Gas Project

Pearl Petroleum Company Limited, the consortium led by Crescent Petroleum and Dana Gas of the UAE, has signed a new 20-year Gas Sales Agreement (GSA) with the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) to enable production and sales of an additional 250 MMscf/day that the consortium aims to produce by 2021 as part of their expansion plans in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI) in order to boost much needed local domestic electricity generation.

Pursuant to the Settlement Agreement reached between the parties in August 2017, this new gas sales agreement was signed on 19th February 2019 by Dr. Ashti Hawrami, Minister of Natural Resources on behalf of the Kurdistan Regional Government, and Mr. Majid Jafar, CEO of Crescent Petroleum and Board Managing Director of Dana Gas, on behalf of Pearl Petroleum.

All approvals for the agreement, including by the the Kurdistan Region Council for Oil & Gas Affairs and the Board of Pearl Petroleum, have since been granted, with  project work now under implementation.

The Kurdistan Gas Project was established in 2007 as Dana Gas and Crescent Petroleum entered into agreement with the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) for certain exclusive rights to appraise, develop, produce, market, and sell petroleum from the Khor Mor and Chemchemal fields in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI).

Production from the newly built plant in Khor Mor began just 15 months later, in October 2008. In 2009, Pearl Petroleum was formed as a consortium with Dana Gas and Crescent Petroleum as shareholders, and with OMV, MOL, and RWE joining the consortium subsequently with a 10% share each.

The $700 million expansion underway at the Khor Mor plant will include the addition of two new production trains at the Khor Mor plant, as well as drilling of new wells with plans to raise production from the current 400 MMscf/day to reach 650 MMscf/day by 2021 based on this latest GSA, and then to 900 MMscf/day beyond that by 2022.

This follows the 30% production increase from debottlenecking throughput at the Khor Mor plant, which brought current total production to 106,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day (boepd), making it the largest regional private sector upstream gas operation in Iraq today.

Gas sales commenced late in 2018 under a gas sales agreement signed in January of that year, and all payments have been received in a timely manner in full, which gives confidence for the investment and expansion plans currently underway by the Consortium. The Kurdistan Gas Project, which recently commemorated 10 years of continuous production, supplies natural gas from the Khor Mor field by pipeline to power plants in Bazian, Chemchemal and Erbil, as well as LPG and condensate, which are sold in the local markets.

In August 2017, Pearl Petroleum reached a full and final settlement with the KRG of the arbitration between them, including settlement of past receivables and committing to expand their investment and operations in the region. These expansion plans include the multi-well drilling program currently underway in both the Khor Mor & Chemchemal fields, as well as installation of additional gas processing and liquids extraction facilities. The fields are operated jointly by Crescent Petroleum and Dana Gas on behalf of Pearl Petroleum.

Total investment in the Kurdistan Gas Project to date exceeds $1.6 billion, with total cumulative production of over 260 million barrels of oil equivalent (boe), delivering billions of dollars in fuel cost savings and wider economic benefits for the Kurdistan Region and Iraq as a whole. That impact will continue to grow as production capacity expands in the coming years.

Dr. Ashti Hawrami, Minister of Natural Resources of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) said:

“This agreement is an important step for us as we deliver improved services to the people of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq through enhanced electricity generation from the increase in gas production by the Consortium. The Kurdistan Region holds significant reserves of gas and the KRG is committed to playing a positive role in the growing gas and electricity needs of Iraq and the region.”

Mr. Majid Jafar, CEO of Crescent Petroleum and Board Managing Director of Dana Gas, commented:

“This gas sales agreement opens a new chapter in the expansion of the Kurdistan Gas Project that will see a further investment of over $700 million in coming years to expand production up to 900 MMscf/day, further fueling the Region’s economic growth and development. We look forward to developing the significant resources from these important fields, for the benefit of the Kurdistan Region and all of Iraq.”

Dr. Patrick Allman-Ward, CEO of Dana Gas, added:

“Dana Gas and our partners in Pearl Petroleum are particularly proud to be investing further in the gas sector of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, delivering a reliable source of cleaner energy, and supporting local economic development.  The continuing receipt of payments in a timely manner gives confidence for our continued investment commitment as we enter our second decade of production.”

As part of its work in the KRI, Pearl has implemented a corporate social responsibility program to support local communities, including providing school supplies, drinking water treatment, generators and fuel enabling 24-hour electricity for local villages, mobile medical units, and youth sports facilities, as well as financial support for 1,000 orphans from the Chemchemal area in partnership with a local charity Foundation.

These initiatives are assisting the local communities in improving their standard of living, health, well-being, security and stability and the development of human capital.

(Source: Dana Gas)

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Dana Gas Increases Production in Iraq

Dana Gas PJSC, the Middle East’s largest regional private sector natural gas company, announces that as a result of the ramp up of production from its debottlenecking project in the Kurdistan region of Iraq, its group production reached 70,000 barrels of oil per day (boepd) on the 19 November and has since been sustained above that level.

The Company’s principal operations are in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI) and Egypt, where the drilling of the Balsam-8 well has also led to a sharp increase in overall production. Current group production, in excess of 70,000 boepd, represents a significant increase compared to the Company’s 9M 2018 average of 62,250 boepd.

Dr Patrick Allman-Ward, CEO, Dana Gas, said:

“Production in excess of 70,000 barrels oil equivalent per day is a great achievement for Dana Gas. At the start of the year, we planned a drilling programme in Egypt and a debottlenecking project in the KRI that would significantly increase production. We have successfully delivered both projects. The increase in production will help offset the lower realised hydrocarbon prices that have impacted the oil industry in the last quarter and support growth in our revenue and net profit figures for the full year 2018 and beyond.

“We remain excited about the long-term future of our world-class assets in the KRI. Further investment is underway to double current production to 900 MMscf/d over the coming three years, together with an increase in condensate to 36,000 bpd and LPG to 1200 MTpd.”

In the fourth quarter 2018, Dana Gas Egypt completed the drilling of the Balsam-8 well and tied it in to the network. The well was completed ahead of schedule and under budget, adding over 5,000 boepd to the Company’s output.

In the KRI, the Company announced a 30% increase in production capacity at the Khor Mor field (pictured), which it jointly operates on behalf of Pearl Petroleum. The expansion of the gas processing plant consisted of a series of plant additions and modifications to de-bottleneck throughput, raising output capacity from 305 MMscf/d of natural gas to 400 MMscf/d, with over 15,000 barrels per day of condensate. This is expected to add up to $50 million annually to the top line without incurring any additional operational costs.

The Company recently posted a strong set of quarterly financial results. 9M 2018 revenue increased 6% to $351 million (AED1,287 mm) from $330 million (AED1,210 mm) over the same period last year and 9M 2018 net profit was $41 million (AED149 mm) versus a net loss of $6 million (AED22 mm) in 9M 2017, excluding one-off items.

(Source: Dana Gas)

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260+ attend IBBC Iraq Reconstruction Conference

IBBC welcomed 260+ delegates to Dubai to discuss ‘Iraq – Reconstruction & Rebuilding, how to deliver Vision’ with expert Industry, Government and International Organisations on 25th November

Iraq Britain Business Council held its annual Autumn Conference in Dubai yesterday on the 25th November at the Address Dubai Marina in Dubai.

The event hosted many speakers from the major companies operating in Iraq including IOCs, Logistics, Finance and Legal and Infrastructure, as well as Government Officials from the UK, UAE, Iraq, The World Bank and IMF to discuss the key issues facing Iraq’s economy today. IBBC welcomed over 260 delegates at the event for its largest ever attendance.

Under the Chairmanship of Vikas Handa, IBBC Representative in the UAE, Baroness Nicholson of Winterbourne, President of IBBC and The Prime Minister’s Trade Envoy to Iraq opened the conference alongside H.E. Abdulla Ahmed Al Saleh, Undersecretary of the UAE Ministry of Economy for Foreign Trade & Industry Professor Sabah Mushatat, Prime Minister’s Advisor for Reconstruction and Investment. H.E. Bengan Rikani, Iraqi Minister for Housing, Reconstruction & Public Municipalities, Government of the Republic of Iraq. Michael Townshend, Regional President BP Middle East and Jon Wilks CMG, Her Majesty’s Ambassador to Iraq.

HE Abdulla Ahmed Al Saleh

IBBC was honoured to have HE Abdulla alSaleh give a keynote speech at the IBBC Conference in Dubai for the third year running, His Excellency reaffirmed the UAE’s commitment to building a diverse and prosperous Iraq as per the IBBC’s mission statement. Professor Mushatat delivered a message from the Prime Minister of Iraq H.E. Adil Abdul-Mahdi delivering the PMs support for the development of the Private Sector and Foreign Enterprise in Iraq and complimenting IBBC as a trusted partner to achieve these goals.

H.E. Bengan Rikani spoke of the challenges ahead to meet the population growth of Iraq, the continuing efforts to rebuild liberated areas and the infrastructure projects underway. Ambassador Jon Wilks highlighted the importance of Iraq to the British economy, where trade has increased by 10% in the last year alone and stressed the commitment of PM Theresa May, Liam Fox MP Secretary of State for International Trade and DFID to facilitating Trade between the UK & Iraq.

“Now is the time to look again at the Iraq Market”
Her Majesty’s Ambassador Jon Wilks CMG

Michael Townshend reminded the audience that there was more Oil available globally than humanity could consume and that the Rumaila’s oilfield operated by BP in Iraq was not only one of the largest but also one of the most economic fields in the globe, providing Iraq with the lion share of its incomes.

Michael Townshend, BP

This year’s Agenda focused on the key issues of how Iraq can rebuild its towns and cities and develop its economy and evolving Infrastructure and Utilities with an emphasis on expanding Oil & Gas production, improving the Regulatory Framework and Financial systems and exploring the role of Logistics in moving people and materials into and around the country.

Conference Sessions & Speakers:

Logistics – Imports/Exports, People & Goods

Beverley Simpson, Director – Iraq, Department of International Trade; Rolls-Royce; SKA International Group; Basrah Gateway Terminal; G4S

Regulatory & Financial Framework – Encouraging International Investment

Management Partners; Dr Sabah Mushatat, Investment & Reconstruction Advisor to the Prime Minister of Iraq; National Bank of Iraq; IMF; AFC Iraq Fund; Eversheds-Sutherland

Energy – Increasing Production

Shell; Chevron; GE

Infrastructure – Rebuilding & Utilities Supply

IFC; Wood; EAMES; Siemens; Prof. Frank Gunter, Lehigh University

Ms Duha Mohammed, Capital Bank of Iraq

The conference also featured the highly successful roundtable discussions, where delegates engaged in dynamic and concentrated debates on the country issues which matter most. Delegates also enjoyed a pre-conference reception on 24th November at the Address Dubai Marina, as well as many networking opportunities throughout the event.

IBBC would like to thank the efforts of its sponsors Rolls Royce, Serco, SKA International Group, Siemens, GE, Basra Gateway Terminal and Khudairi Group.

IBBC also held a Tech Forum on 25th November under the Chairmanship of IBBC Marketing Consultant Ashley Goodall. The forum ran in parallel to the conference at the same venue. Some of the most important innovators of Tech in Iraq spoke on Fintech, the Consumer Economy, E-Government and the Start-Up Economy. Speakers included representatives from EY Iraq, Avaya, Citi Bank, Restrata Group, Microsoft, Khudairi Group, VentureSouq, Careem and the International Development Bank.

IBBC is particularly grateful to Ms Suha Mohammed, DG for payments at the Iraqi Central Bank, and to Mr Hiwa Afandi, DG of the Information Technology Department of the Kurdistan Regional Government for participating in this event.

Tech companies are already disrupting the heavily state dominated Iraqi economy and are the bearers of hope for tangible change in a country that has an extremely young and tech savvy population and has an urgent need to create hundred of thousands new jobs every year.

For any enquires please email london@webuildiraq.org

(Source: IBBC)

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Rebuilding & Reconstruction – Iraq – Delivering the Vision

 Rebuilding & Reconstruction

– Iraq –

Delivering the Vision

Register Now

IBBC returns to Dubai on 25 November with a full agenda of expert speakers to discuss the most important issues facing Iraq’s economy.

Baroness Nicholson of Winterbourne, President of IBBC and The Prime Minister’s Trade Envoy to Iraq, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan & Kazakhstan will open the conference, alongside H.E. Mr Abdullah Ahmed Al Saleh, Undersecretary of the UAE Ministry of Economy for Foreign Trade & Industry, H.E. Mr Bangen Abdullah Rekani, Iraq’s Minister for Housing, Reconstruction & Public Municipalities, Dr Mehdi Al Alak, Secretary General of the Council of Ministers, Michael Townshend the Regional President of BP Middle East and Jon Wilks CMG Her Majesty’s Ambassador to Iraq.

A delegation of high-profile Iraqi Governmental Officials will be in attendance including Dr Hamid Ahmed, Deputy Chairman of the Prime Minister’s Advisory Committee (PMAC), Dr Sabah Mushatat, Investment and Reconstruction Advisor of the Prime Minister, Mr Louay Al-Yassiri, Governor of Najaf, Mr Nawjad Hadi, Governor of Erbil, Dr Wijdan Salim, PMAC and Mr Abas Imran, Technical DG, Ministry of Transport. Delegates will have the opportunity to engage with the speakers in dynamic and concentrated debates during Roundtable Discussions. Further Iraqi officials are expected to confirm their attendance in the coming weeks.

Other confirmed speakers include Christopher M. Cantelmi, Principal – Infrastructure & Natural Resources – International Finance Corporation (World Bank) and Kareem K. Ismail, Resident Representative for Iraq and Yemen, International Monetary Fund (IMF). Additional expert speakers are drawn from the Department of International Trade, Shell, Rolls-Royce, Siemens, Serco, SKA International Group, Basrah Gateway Terminal, Khudairi Group, G4S, National Bank of Iraq, Management Partners, EY, AFC Iraq Fund, Chevron, Wood and more.

Download the Full Agenda

Conference sessions will focus on:

  • Infrastructure, Rebuilding & Utilities Supply 
  • Oil & Gas – Increasing Production
  • Regulatory & Financial Framework – Encouraging International Investment
  • Logistics & Trade

A Pre-conference Reception and Networking Event is planned for Saturday 24 November at the Address Dubai Marina, where delegates can enjoy the spectacular surroundings and view. With Dubai being a hub for local and international companies in the region operating in Iraq, the conference attracts suppliers, investors, producers and buyers from Iraq, the UK and the wider international business community.

IBBC will also be holding a Tech Forum on 25 November, which will run in parallel to the conference at the same venue. Ticket holders will get complimentary access to the forum, where some of the key innovators of Tech in Iraq will be speaking on Fintech, the Consumer Economy, E-Government and the Start-Up Economy. Speakers include representatives from EY, Citi Bank, Restrata Group, MediaWorld, Khudairi Group, Avaya and the Technology Department of the Kurdistan Regional Government.

For any queries please email London@webuildiraq.org