MEOG: North Oil raises Kirkuk output

Iraq’s state-owned North Oil Co. (NOC) has raised oil production from the country’s Kirkuk Governorate to more than 360,000 barrels per day (bpd), according to local media outlet Shafaq.

The agency quoted a company source as saying that NOC aims to achieve output of 400,000 bpd by the end of the year. To reach this level, it will leverage the capabilities of the Iraqi Drilling Co. (IDC) – another subsidiary of the Ministry of Oil (MoO) – to develop and rehabilitate oil wells in NOC’s fields.

NOC’s output allocation – directed by the MoO – comprises 150,000 bpd for supply to the state-owned refineries of Baiji and Daura, another 100,000 bpd for other refineries as directed by the MoO, and the remainder managed by the company.

Speaking to Shafaq, oil expert Ali Khalil said that NOC’s “actual production capacity can exceed 750,000 bpd, indicating that the current production is about 50% of the company’s potential.”