MEOG: Iraq reported to be expanding bid rounds

Iraq’s Ministry of Oil (MoO) is reported to be including an additional six concessions in its ongoing and planned bid rounds as it looks to stoke investor interest in underexplored areas.

Local media noted the additional blocks in licensing rounds five-plus (LR5+) and six, taking them to a total of 30 potential projects, with bids due to be submitted by January next year. Iraq Oil Report said that it had seen a promotional document sent to prospective bidders which corroborated these reports.

LR5+ was announced following the belated conclusion of LR5 in February, when binding contracts were signed with the companies that were awarded acreage in the 2018 auction. Sharjah-based Crescent Petroleum – an affiliate of better-known compatriot Dana Gas – was the biggest winner, picking up three of the blocks.

At that point, the supplementary bid round included 13 concessions comprising four exploration acreages and nine fields. The exploration areas are the Al-Fao and Jebel Sanam acreages in Basra Governorate, the Al-Shihabi acreage in Maysan and Wasit Governorate and the Zurbatiya acreage, also in Wasit.

The nine fields are Al-Dimah and Qalaat Salih fields in Maysan Governorate the northern extension of the East Baghdad oilfield in Baghdad and Salah al-Din Governorates, Dhafriya in Wasit, Allan and Sasan fields in Nineveh Governorate, Balkana in Salah al-Din, Abu Khaima in Basra and the Middle Euphrates fields of Al-Kifl, West Al-Kifl and Marjan.