Norway’s DNO to Drill Eight New Wells at Kurdistan Region’s Tawke Oil Field

ERBIL (Kurdistan24) - Norwegian oil and gas operator DNO announced on Thursday that it will begin drilling eight new oil wells at the Kurdistan Region’s Tawke field next week, marking the company’s largest operational expansion since production activities were disrupted more than two years ago.

In a statement published on its official website on Thursday, the company said that, after a prolonged halt linked to the suspension of Kurdistan’s oil exports in 2023, full drilling operations are now set to resume in Duhok province.

According to the company, two major DNO drilling rigs have already been mobilized to launch the new campaign. Drilling is expected to continue through 2026, with the company projecting a 25% increase in production capacity, equivalent to an additional 100,000 barrels per day once the new wells come online.

DNO said cumulative output from the Tawke field has exceeded 500 million barrels, reinforcing the asset’s position as one of the Kurdistan Region’s most productive fields.

Bezhên Masawer Rahmani, the company’s Operations Manager, said that although DNO currently produces around 80,000 bpd, its long experience at Tawke strengthens confidence that output can be increased significantly once new drilling is completed.

Rahmani noted that drilling plans were frozen in 2023 following the shutdown of Kurdistan’s export pipeline, but the company is now accelerating investment following the resumption of exports.

Oil exports from the Kurdistan Region restarted on Sept. 27, 2025, at 7:00 a.m., through the Kirkuk–Ceyhan pipeline, after a trilateral agreement between the federal government, the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), and international oil companies.

Under the mechanism, 190,000 barrels per day of Kurdistan’s crude are marketed by Iraq’s state oil company SOMO, with revenues transferred directly to the federal treasury.

Since the restart, over 4 million barrels have been exported through Ceyhan, according to information obtained by Kurdistan24.

At present, Kurdistan’s fields produce 200,000–205,000 bpd, all of which is shipped via the Ceyhan terminal under the new framework.

Despite the renewed production outlook, DNO noted that its installations have faced persistent security threats. The Tawke field was hit three times this year by drone attacks carried out by Iraq-based militia groups, inflicting substantial material damage on the facility.

DNO ASA, founded in 1971, operates across the Middle East, North Sea, and Africa, with particularly deep involvement in the Kurdistan Region since 2004. Its portfolio includes projects in Norway, the UAE, Côte d’Ivoire, the Netherlands, and Yemen.

The company reaffirmed its long-term commitment to Kurdistan’s energy sector as it prepares to launch its newest drilling phase.