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)