Wikileaks: KRG & Contracts

HUNT OIL SIGNS AGREEMENT WITH KRG UNDER KRG OIL LAW CANADIAN NIKO SIGNS OIL CONTRACT IN KURDISTAN REGION OMV TO CONTINUE OIL EXPLORATION IN NORTHERN IRAQ DESPITE IRAQI EMBARGO OIL MINISTER ANNULS KRG OIL CONTRACTS KRG LOOKING TO BUY GOODWILL THROUGH OIL EXPORT OIL FOUND AT SEVERAL NEW SITES IN KURDISTAN REGION BAGHDAD-ERBIL OIL RAPPROCHEMENT? MPS OFFER SKEPTICISM AND OLD IDEAS FOR NEXT STEP OIL RAPPROCHEMENT? KRG PUBLISHES TWO CONTRACTS…

Wikileaks: Bid Rounds & Contracts

AFTER INITIALING OIL CONTRACTS, IRAQ DEMANDS CHANGES OIL MINISTER TO CHANGE SIGNING BONUSES FOR 2009 FIRST BID ROUND CONTRACTS CHEVRON ON IOC INVESTING IN IRAQ RUMAILA OIL-FIELD LAWSUIT CONTINUES BUT SUCCESS UNLIKELY FORMER OIL MINISTER AND COR CANDIDATE WEIGHS IN ON DE-BA’ATHIFICATION, OIL, AND EDUCATION BASRA: LOCAL DISSATISFACTION GROWS IN FINAL RUN-UP TO FIRST OIL BID ROUND IRAQ’S OIL BID ROUND 2: U.S. FIRMS’ PARTICIPATION IRAQ’S FIRST OIL BID ROUND…

Bid Round 4

It seems to me that bidding rounds are becoming a hobby rather than requirement. Exploration does not  require bidding cycles. All it needs is  hiring a seismic contractor and a drilling contractor. In fact, I do not see why these fuctions cannot be handled directly by the Ministry of Oil, through the departments of Exploration and Drilling. Pre-2010, we complained about the inaction of the Ministry of Oil. Now, we…

Signature Bonus

Mr. Jiyad raises interesting questions about the transformation of the signature Bonus into a debt instrument. It is indeed messy, and apparently, the situation is still evolving, with the reimbursable payment seemingly  being transformed into a (much) smaller outright grant. However, the fact that signature bonuses are higher in Angola than in Iraq may be due to any number of causes. Perhaps (as we do not know details of the…