Despite Iraqi Kurdistan’s impressive upstream performance in recent years – growing year-on-year output since 2018 – the gains have all been from expansion at existing fields. Until Chevron brought the 20,000 b/d Sarta field online in late 2020 (MEES, 22 January), there had been no greenfield startups since 2017’s Peshkabir and Atrush.

But good news this week from Norway’s DNO – Iraqi Kurdistan’s biggest foreign producer – could be change that. Following months of well testing, the firm announced positive appraisal results on 11 February and plans to fast-track production at the Baeshiqa field by the end of the year. (CONTINUED - 763 WORDS)