Oil & Gas Law

It is obvious that the primary aim of the draft oil and gas law (OGL) prepared by Adnan Janabi et al, is to negate the role of the Federal Government in oil and gas affairs. It is difficult to imagine that the people behind this draft OGL do think that it is in the national interest to make the Regions stronger, and the Center weaker, than they are now. If…

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…

West Qurna, Rumaila & Water Injection

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…