Iraq’s Oil Minister Ihsan Ismaael says that Baghdad intends to improve Russian firm Gazprom Neft’s contract at the 80,000 b/d capacity Badra field. Speaking in Doha last week he says that Baghdad is “very keen on signing this deal with Gazprom Neft, which is an important company for Iraq.” However, with Mr Ismaael seemingly on the way out of Iraq’s energy sector (MEES, 4 March), there are considerable doubts over whether such amendments will be made. Discussions for a new contract stem back to 2018.
Badra in Wasit province was awarded as part of Iraq’s second licensing round in 2009 and production started in 2014. It has been a mainstay of mid-Euphrates oil production alongside CNPC’s Ahdab and Zhenhua Oil’s East Baghdad fields. Badra has a central integrated oil and gas processing facility with a capacity of 110,000 b/d and 155mn cfd. Gas is piped through a 100km pipeline to the 500MW Zubaidiya gas plant in the province. (CONTINUED - 160 WORDS)