The Results

If you are trying to figure out who won and who lost in Iraq’s first bid round, consider this: 22 companies have participated in the licensing round making offers for six oil fields and one gas field, as leaders or members of consortia. One gas field, Mansuriya had no takers. China’s CNPC was the most aggressive taking part in 5 offerings followed by Malaysia’s Petronas which targeted 4. Oil majors…

Iraq: Shell’s Entry Plan

2 May 2008 Royal Dutch Shell has never been shy when considering Iraq’s huge potential. Even when the country was under UN sanctions, company officials quietly traveled to and from Baghdad, fostering relations with oil ministry officials. Since the US-led invasion of 2003, it has pursued opportunities more aggressively, with a three-pronged strategy targeting the upstream in the north and south, and the gas sector. Now, Shell is seeking to…

Iraq’s Emerging Alliances

24 August 2007 When Iraq eventually opens again for upstream business, the new rule in town will be competitive bidding — as opposed to former one-on-one negotiations. In effect, this will throw the game open to all for giant fields previously negotiated by international firms, such as West Qurna, Majnoon and Nahr bin Umar. Alliances have already emerged between some companies — including Russian Lukoil and US ConocoPhillips, Chevron with…

Iraqi Firm Forges Ahead With Drilling Plan Despite Potential War

27 February 2003 Unfazed by the current US military buildup and the potential risk to rigs from air raids or invading forces, Iraq’s Oil Drilling Co. (ODC) is forging ahead with drilling across the country’s oil fields in an attempt to beat its record of last year. But separate activities by foreign drillers under the UN’s oil-for-food program have been hit by the threat of war, with international companies either…