Iraq’s oil ministry has announced the resumption of production at Nineveh province’s Qayara oil field. Current output from the 17.2°API field is 30,000 b/d. The ministry says it has an “ambitious plan” to raise output to 60,000 b/d by year-end.
Located around 30km south of Mosul, the field was captured in 2014 and subsequently operated by IS (MEES, 17 October 2014). It suffered extensive damage to its wells and infrastructure as IS retreated following Iraq’s operations to retake the area in August 2016. Given the extent of the damage and the fact that Qayara previously peaked at 20,000 b/d, hitting 60,000 b/d would be a massive achievement. (CONTINUED - 264 WORDS)
