Oil Search expects to resume drilling in Iraqi Kurdistan
SINGAPORE, September 25, 2014
Oil Search expects to resume drilling work in the Taza field in Iraqi Kurdistan in three to four weeks when the situation stabilises, a senior company official said.
"Right now, activity has been impacted by security in Kurdistan region, not so much in the area around Taza, but more around the supply chain which supports our operations," Peter Botten, managing director of Papua New Guinea's largest oil and gas company, said at an industry conference.
"We do anticipate going back to drilling and testing Taza 2 in about three to four weeks."
The company said on its website that it temporarily suspended activity at Taza in August as rising regional tensions interrupted its ability to deploy key skilled technicians, equipment and materials to the well site.
Oil Search expects to drill at least another two more holes in Taza next year and carry out long-term production test, Botten said.
Taza is a 511 sq kms block lies adjacent to the Pulkhana block to the southwest and the Kormor block to the northeast.
Oil Search discovered oil in the first well, known as Taza 1, in 2013. -- Reuters