TAQA strikes black gold in Kurdistan’s Atrush block

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region (Kurdistan24) - UAE-based Abu Dhabi National Energy Company (TAQA) and partners, including Marathon Oil, started oil production at its Atrush block in the Kurdistan Region on Monday.

TAQA said oil started flowing through the Atrush central processing facility and that the facility will have a production capacity of 30,000 barrels per day of oil.

Contract disputes, technical obstacles, and security threats from the Islamic State (IS) delayed production over the past few years.

TAQA chairman Saeed Mubarak Al Hajeri noted that starting operations at Atrush is “an important milestone for TAQA, its co-venturers and the Kurdistan Region of Iraq.”

“Atrush production will bring long-term cash flows to TAQA, and we look forward to operating the asset with a commitment to the highest standards of health, safety, and environmental protection,” he added.

The Atrush field is located 85 km northwest of Erbil and is one of the largest new oil developments in the Kurdistan Region. It was discovered in 2011 and began development in 2013 in cooperation with the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), ShaMaran and Marathon Oil.

“It is an exciting time for TAQA. Our dedicated team comprised of Kurdish, Emirati, and international professionals have come together to deliver this outstanding achievement through their combined world-class knowledge and experience,” AbdulKhaliq Al Ameri, TAQA’s Acting Project Director – Iraq, remarked.

TAQA is the operator of Atrush and has a 39.9 percent working interest in the Production Sharing Contract. The other co-venturers are the KRG with 25 percent, General Explorations Partners, Inc. (a wholly owned subsidiary of ShaMaran Petroleum Corp) with 20.1 percent, and Marathon Oil KDV B.V. 15 percent.

The UAE-based global energy company has operations in 11 countries worldwide.