Iraq Launches New Bid For Mansuriya Field Development After Canceling Previous Contracts

Iraq Launches New Bid for Mansuriya Field Development After Canceling Previous Contracts

Iraqi Oil Minister Ihsan Abdul Jabbar announced a tender on Thursday to select a new partner among competing foreign gas companies to develop the Mansuriya gas field after the ministry terminated an earlier contract

MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 15th October, 2020) Iraqi Oil Minister Ihsan Abdul Jabbar announced a tender on Thursday to select a new partner among competing foreign gas companies to develop the Mansuriya gas field after the ministry terminated an earlier contract.

"The ministry invited a number of international companies to enter a competition and submit high-quality offers for the development of the Mansuriya gas field in Diyala, which is the first of its kind in the [Eastern Iraqi] province," Abdul Jabbar told the state-run Iraqi news Agency.

The announcement comes after the Iraqi oil ministry canceled a contract with a group of companies, including Turkey's state-owned TPAO, South Korea's Kogas and Kuwait Energy. The consortium signed a deal with the ministry back in 2011, but operations were halted in 2014 due to security issues caused by the intervention of the Islamic State terrorist group (IS, banned in Russia) in Iraq's territory. As the situation began to improve, the ministry reportedly sent requests to the group to continue its work, but there were no further actions.

"The Ministry of Oil will choose a new partner who will provide the best technical solutions to operate and develop the field in a way that guarantees the highest economic return to the state," Abdul Jabbar added.

Reserves at the gas field are estimated at 4.5 trillion cubic meters (around 158 trillion cubic feet), according to the minister. Under the initial development plan, the gas production was scheduled to start in 2015.

The terrorist group never gained control over Mansuriya but seized nearby areas and conducted attacks on the field. The three initial contractors were forced to declare the state of force majeure at the oil field.

Baghdad announced the country's full liberation from the IS in the end of 2017. However, government forces continue to carry out operations against separate terrorist cells that remain dormant in certain parts of the country.