The long history of US independent Occidental (Oxy) in the Mena region turned a corner in 2016 with the firm shedding assets in Iraq, Bahrain, Yemen and Libya in order to focus on core regional assets in Qatar, Oman, and the UAE (MEES, 12 August 2016). This new focus was narrowed further after Qatar opted against renewing Oxy’s contract for the 100,000 b/d Idd al-Sharghi assets in 2019 (MEES, 11 October 2019).
With its Mena focus on Oman and the UAE, Oxy has snapped up a swathe of blocks stretching across Abu Dhabi and northern Oman in recent years. The company holds eight near-contiguous blocks stretching from Onshore 3 in Abu Dhabi to Block 51 in eastern Oman (see map and MEES, 11 December 2020). Further south in Oman, Oxy also holds an exploration and appraisal contract for Block 72 and operates Block 53 which is home to the 10-12° API 120,000 b/d Mukhaizna heavy oil field. (CONTINUED - 1138 WORDS)
