Iraq Nears Support Deals With Oil Majors

15 April 2008 Iraq’s oil ministry expects to sign two deals with two oil majors by the end of the month under the technical support contracts framework approved recently by the Iraqi cabinet, with two other deals expected to follow shortly afterward, Iraqi oil sources told International Oil Daily Monday. The ministry has also named 35 international oil companies it said have prequalified to bid in the upcoming licensing round…

Iraq Outlines Details of First Bid Round

11 March 2008 Iraq intends to offer five big producing fields and two small ones in its first bid round, planned for this year, in an attempt to boost output by a significant amount as speedily as possible, a senior government official involved in the process and Iraqi oil ministry sources told International Oil Daily Monday. The fields will be offered on service contracts running for at least 20 years….

Minnows Complain as Majors Meet on Iraq

18 January 2008 Iraq’s launch last week of a prequalification process for international oil companies ahead of a tender for undeveloped fields has drawn fire from smaller firms, which say the criteria and requirements set by the oil ministry exclude them from the competition and favor their bigger brethren, especially the majors. Oil ministry sources said the prequalification process is designed to determine “which companies could be called on to…

Iraq Punishes Oil Firms With KRG Deals

16 January 2008 Iraqi Oil Minister Hussein al-Shahristani has followed up on threats to punish companies that sign deals with the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) by canceling the memoranda of understanding (MOU) some had inked with his ministry, a ministry source told International Oil Daily from Baghdad Tuesday. This is the first concrete step toward depriving them of any future deals with Baghdad. Al-Shahristani had persistently told companies that Baghdad…