BP resumes work on Kirkuk oil field development
Shafaq News- Kirkuk
British energy company BP has resumed operations in Iraq's Kirkuk province, with local officials and company representatives discussing the implementation of a contract to develop the province's oil fields, officials told Shafaq News on Monday.
Anjel Zaya Sheba, secretary-general of the Kirkuk Provincial Council, said Kirkuk Governor Mohammed Samaan Agha met BP Iraq General Manager Zaid Al-Yasiri to review the implementation of the company's contract with Iraq's Oil Ministry to develop the province's oil fields.
“BP returned to Kirkuk after suspending operations in recent months because of regional security developments,’ he noted, describing the resumption of its activities as an important step toward advancing development projects and increasing oil production.
The meeting also reviewed plans to develop oil fields operated by the North Oil Company and North Gas Company, as well as BP's future projects in the province.
According to Sheba, the discussions also covered efforts to strengthen Iraq's oil sector, train national personnel, create employment opportunities for Kirkuk residents, and support community development projects.
A source at the North Oil Company also said BP had redeployed its technical and engineering teams and restarted development programs after previously withdrawing most of its British and other foreign employees because of heightened regional tensions.
The return of the foreign teams is expected to accelerate technical work and keep development programs on schedule, supporting the Oil Ministry's efforts to improve production efficiency and expand investment in Kirkuk's oil fields, the source added.
In March, BP withdrew a number of its foreign employees from oil field development projects in Kirkuk as a precautionary measure in response to regional security tensions and the impact of the ongoing conflict in the Middle East. At the time, sources affirmed that “the move did not affect the company's contract with Iraq's Oil Ministry and was intended as a temporary measure pending a security assessment.”
Kirkuk is home to some of Iraq's oldest and largest oil fields, including the Kirkuk, Bai Hassan, Jambur, and Khabbaz fields. The fields have faced technical and security challenges in recent years, prompting the Oil Ministry to partner with international energy companies to rehabilitate infrastructure and increase production capacity.
