22 October 2003 Iraqi oil ministry officials favor open bidding for any future contracts for oil fields and exploration blocks, embracing both companies involved in previous negotiations and new contenders, mainly US majors for whom Iraq was off-limits. “We have proposals that we are formulating, but that still need to be submitted for approval by the oil minister and the political echelons in Iraq,” Natik al-Bayati, senior adviser at the…
Tag: western desert
Iraq: Who’s Working Where?
28 February 2003 In talking about possible war against Iraq, Bush administration officials insist that their main objective is not to get their hands on the country’s massive oil reserves. But post-war, fierce competition is almost bound to erupt between US oil firms that have been kept off-limits by the Iraqis, and those — including Russian, Asian, and European companies — that either have firm contracts with the current regime…
Solo Efforts
4 July 2002 Iraq is developing its oil fields with or without foreign help — including the giant fields promised to companies such as France’s Total Fina Elf and Russia’s Lukoil. But the firms are always welcome to hop on board, Iraqi Oil Minister Amer Rashid says. Under a “national effort” launched in 1999, Iraq brought the giant southern Majnoon oil field on stream last year, Rashid says. The field…
Iraq Kicks Off Buyback Contract Negotiations
25 February 2000 Iraq has finally started negotiations on its first modified buyback agreements, offering contracts with an average term of 12-15 years to a number of Asian companies – including Malaysia’s Petronas, which is discussing a deal for the 200,000 b/d Ratawi field. Iraq believes buyback contracts may prove easier to implement than production-sharing contracts (PSCs) once United Nations sanctions prohibiting investment are lifted. “We want something we can…