Baghdad’s forces in late October retook the symbolically significant city of Kirkuk from the KRG as well as oil fields with around 280,000 b/d production capacity in and around the city: 70,000 b/d from the Avana Dome and 210,000 b/d from Bai Hassan.
Added to its existing 165,000 b/d output from Baba Dome (90,000 b/d) as well as Khabbaz and Jambur (combined 75,000 b/d), this meant North Oil Company (NOC) output capacity soared to almost 450,000 b/d output (MEES, 20 October). However, not only have the additional fields yet to translate into more federally-controlled oil output, the loss of access to KRG-controlled outlets for fields already under NOC’s control has seen its output actually shrink. (CONTINUED - 884 WORDS)
