Iraqi Oil Minister Jabbar al-Luaibi says domestic and foreign firms will be invited to build a 300,000 b/d refinery at Nasiriya in southern Iraq. The project was earlier offered packaged with further development of Nasiriya oilfield, where state firm South Oil (SOC) has boosted output to 80,000 b/d, from 65,000 b/d earlier this year.

The unbundling and re-offering of the Nasiriya refinery follows Mr Luaibi’s recent call for bids for four more new refineries totaling 420-470,000 b/d, at Kirkuk, Basra, Kut in Wasit province and Samawa in al-Muthanna governorate (see table and map). The Kirkuk project had, like Nasiriya, been previously offered (MEES, 2 September). (CONTINUED - 622 WORDS)