The present political situation in Bahrain has had no effect on oil production and development plans in the country, Energy Minister Dr Abdulhussain Mirza has said.

The minister, speaking after a meeting with Occidental Petroleum Corporation chairman Dr Ray Irani, said Bahrain Field operations and Tatweer Petroleum development activities remained unaffected by current conditions in Bahrain.

'There is no change in production or operational plans in Bahrain, everything remains normal in the oil and gas sector,' he said.

'The revitalisation of one of the longest-producing oilfields in the world is one of the cornerstones for fuelling the economic diversification plans set by the leadership in Bahrain and will aid in bringing added prosperity and opportunity to the whole nation.'

He said Tatweer's implementation of a Master Development Plan for the oil sector is progressing ahead of schedule with excellent results.

The meeting with Dr Irani came as the two reviewed Tatweer Petroleum's performance last year and continued production improvement plans.

Tatweer Petroleum is a joint venture between Noga Holding, Mubadala Development Company from the UAE and Occidental and was formed in December 2009 to pursue the development and growth of the Bahrain Field to meet Bahrain's growing energy needs.

Oil production last year increased to 40,000 barrels per day and gas production capacity increased to be 1.7 billion standard cubic feet per day through new drilling techniques and by implementing Improved Oil Recovery (IOR) programmes, Dr Mirza said.

'Development will continue throughout this year with plans to drill 130 new wells and implement water flooding and steam injection IOR programmes.'

The minister said over the course of this year both oil and gas production capacities are expected to increase in the Bahrain Field.

Dr Irani said they were pleased with Tatweer Petroleum's first year performance.

'There have been significant achievements by the company in improving production from the Bahrain Field,' he said.

'The further development of this historic field will benefit Bahrain in several important ways.

'Tatweer's operations and increased development activities will create new jobs, generate new income and open opportunities for further production.'-TradeArabia News Service