I refer to your informative interview with Dhiya Jaafar, D.G. of Southern Oil Company (SOC), and would Like to share with you the following brief comments.
– West Qurna-1 Mishrif reservoir seems to be over produced and hence there is a need to revise the production policy in this field with a view to minimizing pressure decline by reducing production from now until water availability is secured. I do not know how the available water, from Garmat Ali, is distributed among fields now. Nevertheless, it would be prudent to look into the feasibility of giving West Qurna-1 a priority of water injection over Rumaila Main Pay, Zubair 3rd Pay and Zubair Mishrif. The requirement of the Government for more money now is well understood, but that should neither be at the expense of good oil field practices nor at better long term benefits.
– Similar works to improve production rate by removing restrictions to flow were done in Rumaila and Zubair fields, in the sixties of last century. Relevant reports should still be available with SOC. From these reports it was found that reducing degassing pressures would result in a slightly higher oil gravity and higher gas/oil ratio. It will also be associated with a reduced first stage production capacity. The change in gravity is the most important, as it may change the quality of export crude and hence the price of that crude.
– In most probability and as happened in Saudi Arabia, the production potential of 12 m. b/d is here to stay, for political reasons and due to the availability of many green fields awaiting development. Therefore, no reduction in water injection requirement is expected and SOC should not worry about idle water injection installations, post the period of plateau production.