October oil output stayed near Iraq's high-water mark for the year as the newly elected prime minister expressed support for OPEC-plus but criticism of Iraq's quota.
An oil smuggling ring was stealing thousands of barrels per day from a pipeline in Basra. The true contours of the conspiracy remain a mystery.
Nationwide exports increased by 36,000 bpd in October, but imminent OPEC-plus cuts could crimp sales in November.
For the past year an ostensibly grassroots movement with ties to Iran-aligned parties has laid political groundwork for Iraq to embrace China’s Belt and Road Initiative.
Iraq’s State Oil Tankers Company hopes to rebuild its fleet to take on crude oil exports and match its Gulf peers.
Mohammed Shia al-Sudani formed a government and took office as prime minister, providing initial details on his program for Iraq's energy sector.
Oil production at Zubair is being ramped up towards a targeted 700,000 bpd within five years, but that goal will require more water injection than is currently available.
Kurdistan's contracts with Addax, ShaMaran, and Gulf Keystone have been ruled invalid; cases against Dana Gas and Gazprom Neft are ongoing.
Production capacity at the West Qurna 1 oil field is set to increase to 600,000 bpd in 2023 despite operator ExxonMobil’s planned exit.
The field awarded to Kogas to develop in 2010 but then shut down by security issues for nearly a decade has been connected to a nearby power plant by Iraqi state oil and gas workers.
