State-owned Missan Oil Company has drilled four new wells at the Halfaya field in the southeast of Iraq, taking the total to 37 wells.

Dajin and Bohi are working as subcontractors at the field for operator, Petrochina.

The firms drilled four wells to depths of up to 4,473 metres, which will be connected to the field’s production systems when completed. Seven older wells have also been reconnected to the system taking the total to 37 since Petrochina took over operations.

According to Ali Imurig Soadj, Missan Oil Company’s director general, the field is now producing 110,000 barrels a day (b/d), with 106,000 b/d sent to Iraq’s export terminals in Basra. Petrochina hopes to reach 535,000 b/d by 2017.

Missan Oil Company said in a 18 February statement that around 40 million cubic feet a day (cf/d) of gas produced at the field is now being transported to the Kahla power station after the completion of a gas receiving station and pipeline by China Petroleum Pipeline Company. The tender for operations and maintenance of the the 21-kilometre, 24-inch pipeline was launched in November 2012.

The power plant has four turbines with a total capacity of 180MW, which were previously supplied with fuel oil by road tanker.