Iraq, BP sign deal to develop Kirkuk oilfield: report

Iraq’s state-run North Oil Company has signed an agreement with BP to triple output from the country’s Kirkuk fields, Reuters reported, citing oil minister Jabar al-Luaibi.

The minister was addressing a news conference after the signing of agreement.

Under the deal, BP will increase output capacity from six fields in the Kirkuk region to a total of more than 1 million barrels per day (bpd), three times today’s capacity in the region.

The talks with BP began in October, the report said.

Kirkuk is one of the biggest and oldest oilfields in the Middle East, and is estimated to contain about 9 billion barrels of recoverable oil, according to BP.

Iraq, the second biggest producer in the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries after Saudi Arabia, has capacity to produce almost 5 million bpd. The country currently produces 4.45 million bpd to comply with an OPEC-led output deal, the news agency said.