Iraq’s New Oil Manager Spells Out Plans

6 May 2003 The new chief executive of the Iraqi oil sector, Thamer al-Ghadban, issued instructions to his staff Sunday to draw up an accelerated plan setting oil production targets for an interim period of several months. In an interview with International Oil Daily, the first since the Saturday announcement of his appointment by the US-led Office of Reconstruction and Humanitarian Assistance (ORHA) as chief executive of the interim management…

At Iraq’s Big Kirkuk Field, Oil Flows but Damage Still a Problem

2 May 2003 Crude oil production from Iraq’s northern Kirkuk oil complex has been ramped up to 60,000 barrels per day this week and is likely to rise to at least 130,000 b/d once the first crude oil unit at the Baiji refinery becomes operational again, an official of North Oil Co. (NOC) said Thursday. “We started initial production at 20,000 b/d on Apr. 24 and are currently producing 60,000…

In Kirkuk, Oil Firm Struggles Back to Feet

24 April 2003 Until two weeks ago, Iraq’s North Oil Co. (NOC) was responsible for production capacity of more than 1 million barrels per day, centering on the giant Kirkuk oil field. Output came to an abrupt halt two weeks ago, when northern Iraq fell to US-led forces. And now, NOC appears to have been battered almost out of existence: Its headquarters are destroyed, its data is lost, and equipment…

Iraqi Officials Take Initiative Restarting Oil

23 April 2003 The first Iraqi oil production since the fall of Saddam Hussein’s regime is set to restart next week from the northern Kirkuk complex, but would be limited to supplying the domestic market in terms of crude for refineries and natural gas for power stations, according to a senior Iraqi official. The plans show Iraqi officials taking the initiative on this and other aspects of the war-damaged oil…