Iraq starts production from Siba gas field

26 April 2018
The southern field has achieved an initial production of 25 million standard cubic feet

Iraq has begun producing gas from the Siba gas field in southern Basra governorate, and has announced achieving an output rate of 25 million cubic feet a day (cf/d).

The Oil Ministry will work towards achieving maximum output of 100 million cf/d from the field by the end of this year, minister Jabbar al-Luiebi said at the inauguration of the central gas production station of the asset on 25 April.

The Siba field is expected to hold 1.5 trillion cubic feet of gas reserves.

MEED last year reported that production from Siba was due to start in January 2018, meaning there has been a delay the field coming online.

The Siba field is jointly managed by Iraq’s Basra Oil Company, privately-owned Kuwait Energy, state-owned Turkish Petroleum Corporation (TPAO), and the Egyptian General Petroleum Corporation.

Gas from the field will be primarily fed to Iraq’s power grid, Al-Luiebi said.

Siba is the first discovered field to have gas as the main hydrocarbon reserve in Iraq, which otherwise produces gas associated with oil output, according to the Oil Ministry. The two other natural gas fields are Akkas in Anbar governorate and Mansoriya in Diala governorate.

The Oil Ministry will invest in bringing more gas assets online to realise the country’s “ambitious energy plans” after the restarting of Siba, Al-Luiebi said.

The country is looking to quickly reduce and eventually end gas lost to flaring by 2021, a phenomenon that costs the government an estimated $2.5bn of annual revenues.

The Oil Ministry says it has already awarded contracts to curb gas flaring at Nahr bin Omar, Nasiriya and Gharraf oil and gas fields, and is investing in fields of Maysan governorate to decrease gas flaring.

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