Iraq Starts Countdown for Contract Awards

14 October 2008 Iraq’s oil ministry on Monday launched a competition among 35 international oil companies for six of Iraq’s most prized oil fields and two undeveloped gas fields under 20-year service contracts, which Iraqi Oil Minister Hussein al-Shahristani said he expects to be “finalized and presented to the Iraqi cabinet for ratification before the end of June.” Prequalified companies for Iraq’s first bid round, including all the majors as…

Iraq: Big Hopes, Little Progress

14  September 2007 International oil companies, big and small, flocked to Dubai over the past two weeks to hear Iraqi oil officials expound the riches of their oil fields. Few needed convincing of the country’s potential: After all, where else in the world are there 110 discovered reservoirs in almost 80 oil fields, with less than half developed, mostly partially? Yet their mood was dampened by the simple fact that…

Iraqi Officials Replaced In Political Move

1 July 2005 Two of Iraq’s top oil officials have been replaced by the country’s new oil minister, in a move widely regarded as politically motivated. The changes represent the second major shake up of the oil ministry since Ibrahim Bahr al-Uloum was appointed as minister in May, Baghdad sources told International Oil Daily Thursday. Nabil Lamuza, director general of planning and studies, was replaced by an outsider, Fayad Hassan…

Iraq Favors Transparent Process for Future Upstream Bidding

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…