Iraq official: Exxon Mobil wants out of big field
November 7 2012

BAGHDAD (AP) : U.S. oil giant Exxon Mobil Corp. has expressed an interest in pulling out of a major oil field development project in the country's south, a senior Iraqi oil ministry official said Wednesday.

The comments by the ministry's licensing and contracts chief, Abdul-Mahdi al-Ameedi, are the first official acknowledgement of reports that Exxon wants to exit the 8.6 billion barrel West Qurna Phase 1 project.

"There is talk about this issue. In fact, Exxon Mobil is interested in selling its whole share or part of it to other companies and leave West Qurna," al-Ameedi told reporters at an event in the Iraqi capital.

Irving, Texas-based Exxon Mobil is the main developer of the West Qurna-1 project. It was awarded rights to work on the field in 2009 along with minority partner Royal Dutch Shell PLC.
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Fayad: the draft law of oil and gas government more constitutional and legal
03 November, 2012 12:08:00

Deputy Chairman of the Commission on oil and energy parliamentary Ali Fayad said a copy of the oil and gas sent by the government to the House of Representatives represents the best and most constitutional and legal.

Said Fayad said complications that accompanied the discussions intense that took place on this law in the oil and energy parliamentary led to the formation of a committee composed of six members imitators Chairman of the Committee and Deputy for Legal Committee parliamentary and the Presidency and the representative of the Ministry of Oil and Natural Resources to get out a unified position, explaining that the six-party deems authorize the ministers of oil and natural wealth establish appropriate mechanisms to push for the completion of the law by achieving some sort of balance and harmony between the interests of the province and the central government.
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http://www.alfayhaa.tv/news/iraq/90665.html

South Korea’s KOGAS signs multi-million dollar deal to build 2 gas pipelines in north Iraq
October 23 2012

BAGHDAD : Iraq on Tuesday inked a multi-million dollar deal with South Korea’s KOGAS that will set in motion the building of two key gas pipelines in the country’s north — the latest step by Baghdad to develop dilapidated infrastructure to meet growing energy needs.

The $127.5-million deal stipulates that state-run KOGAS would construct two 110 kilometer- (68 mile-) long pipelines to link oil-rich city of Kirkuk and the industrial city of Beiji to transport liquid and dry natural gas. The lines are to be completed by September 2014.

KOGAS has played a major role in Iraq’s energy sector. It is developing a promising western gas field near the Syrian border and it is teaming up with Turkey’s TPAO and Kuwait Energy to develop another gas field in eastern Iraq.

Since 2008, Iraq has awarded 15 oil and gas deals, but developers have been complaining about infrastructure bottlenecks due to decades of war, sanctions and insurgent attacks.
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Energy Commission expects an agreement on the draft law of oil and gas after two months or early next year
Friday, October 19 2012 09:30

Twilight News : predicted the oil and energy parliamentary, Friday agreement, the Committee of Five on the draft law of oil and gas at the end of this year or early next year.

He said the Commission's decision Qassim Mohammed said in an interview for "Twilight News" that "the atmosphere is still positive in the talks and oil minister in the federal government-cream and coffee, and the Minister of Natural Resources in the Kurdistan Regional Government Ashti Hawrami."

Mohammed said that "in the event of the continuation of this positive atmosphere to what it is possible to reach at the end of this year or early next year on an agreement on one of the drafts submitted a draft law of oil and gas," adding that "the meeting the two ministers was a factor very effective to remove many of the obstacles ".
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Member of the Committee on Energy: Iraq wasting a day to 700 million cubic feet of natural gas burned in the atmosphere
October 17 2012

According to a member of the Oil and Energy Committee MP for mass change Bayazid Hassan, Iraq produces daily limits (1.5) billion cubic feet of natural gas it up (800) million user feet locally and (700) million burn flown feet, calling for the exploitation of gas emitted with oil to enhance the fiscal revenue of the state. Hassan said (of the Agency news) on Wednesday: What produces Iraq day of natural gas up to a billion and five hundred million cubic feet exploited him up (800) million cubic feet in the local need, while up to (700) million cubic feet burned by air without investment, and most of what is produced is gas associated with oil and (70%). added: despite what Iraq possessed of wealth gaseous enormous but still imports gas from neighboring countries, especially Iran, Flo was exploitation and gas investment emitted with oil in the southern fields to achieved self-sufficiency of it and released the remaining abroad and thus will enhance the fiscal revenue of the state. and pointed out: There is an agreement was between the Iraqi government and Shell to invest gas associated with oil, but so far has yet to start the company work because of lack of legislation oil and gas law.
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http://www.sotaliraq.com/mobile-news.php?id=74432#axzz29Nc8bFJb

Maliki mulls ditching Exxon for Russians
October 17 2012

BAGHDAD (UPI) : Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki is reportedly thinking of throwing out U.S. oil giant Exxon Mobil from the giant West Qurna-1 oilfield for signing an "illegal" production deal with semiautonomous Kurdistan and bringing in Russian companies instead.

This appears to be part of an effort by Maliki, who has moved closer to eastern neighbor Iran since U.S. forces withdrew from Iraq in December 2011, to back off the relationship with the United States in favor of Russia.

Under Vladimir Putin, restored as president, Russia's been driving to restore its Cold War influence in the Arab world.

Maliki signed a $4.2 billion arms deal with Russia Oct. 9 during a high-profile three-day visit. That makes Iraq Russia's second largest defense client after India.

Maliki, accompanied by a posse of Cabinet ministers, also discussed energy cooperation and possible oil contracts with Putin and his advisers.
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Lukoil gets nod for work in Iraq
October 10 2012

MOSCOW (UPI) : Iraqi officials approved an exploration contract in southern Iraq for a partnership between Russia's Lukoil and Japan's Impex Corp., the Russian company said.

Lukoil said the contract could be worth as much as $100 million, reports Russia's state-run news agency RIA Novosti. The company said the contract should be signed next month.

Norwegian energy company Statoil worked with Lukoil in 2009 after winning a competitive bid for the West Qurna-2 oil field in southern Iraq. Project partners had expected a production level of 1.8 million barrels of oil per day by 2017.
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Lukoil looking to scale up Iraqi footprint
October 10 2012

Lukoil intends to invest $4bn into its Iraqi projects in 2012, Andrey Knyazev, CEO of the oil major's international arm Lukoil Overseas, said during a round table with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki.

Knyazev pointed out that the country's government has given Lukoil the green light to become involved in a project to develop Block 10 in the south of the country, and that a relevant agreement on exploration of this field is expected to be signed next week. He went on to say that Lukoil already employs 20,000 professionals in Iraq, including 5,000 Iraqi citizens.

According to Knyazev, Lukoil intends to ramp up investments in its overseas projects to $5bn-$5.5bn in 2012, up from the current $3bn-$3.5bn.
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http://www.rbcnews.com/free/20121010104222.shtml

Observers: foreign intervention in the drafting of the law of oil and gas
Sunday 07/10/2012 07:35 AM

Baghdad / tributary cactus : confirmed observers and economists that the oil and gas law is no different from other projects deferred and deactivated in Iraq because of political differences, expressing fear of management the country's economy through political deals, such as attempts to pass a law infrastructure for a general amnesty, and other for Kirkuk

And also the so-called oil-producing provinces, the political reasons and transactions between the political blocs is the basic theme agreed ..

For it says economist Majid picture that oil and gas law and the law of the National Company for oil and gas, are two of the most important laws that should have been issued by the constitution but delays due to lack of political consensus prevented it, and continued Suri "that political deals and overlapping political economic sector hinders the process of building the country, which is rampant today among politicians, "pointing out that if it continues factional interests and personal and partisan nationalism and sectarianism prevailing today have not been agreed to special interests citizen, although passed oil and gas law will not be clear enough as stated by the Constitution being still under political consensus.
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Korean Gas Corporation wins gas pipeline project worth $ 127 million in Iraq
10/07/2012 8:46 am

Economic / Buratha News: National Gas Corporation announced South Korean known as (KOGAS) for winning the gas pipeline project worth $ 127 million in Iraq. Where South Korean company said in a statement about the victory of between 7 companies competing for the implementation of the project in Iraq, pointing out that, with a contract value of 127 million dollars. She explained that according to the agreement will Corporation (KOGAS) to build two parallel gas pipeline, the first of natural gas and the second LNG in the northern Iraqi province of Kirkuk in the Baiji area. They pointed out that he is expected to start drilling and connecting pipe which has a length of 110 kilometers before the end of this month after signing the agreement with the institution (the institution Iraqi oil pipelines) which is expected to be completed project in October / October 2012.
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http://www.burathanews.com/news_article_171837.html