Gazprom Neft, the fourth largest oil producer in Russia, will conduct a 2D seismic survey on the south-eastern section of the Halabja block in Iraq covering about 870 linear km by the end of the year, a report said.

Gazprom Neft recently completed a survey spanning 225 linear km in the south-western section, added the Iraq Business News report.

Last year, a 2D seismic survey covering 130 linear km was conducted on the Halabja block, according to the report, which added that the first exploration well is expected to be drilled this year or in 2016.

“The Halabja block has until now undergone very little geological study. Conducting seismological surveys is the first step towards identifying the optimal location for an exploration well and these provide a significant amount of new information on the structure of the block,” Mikhail Kholodov, CEO of Gazprom Neft Middle East, was quoted as saying in the report.

Gazprom Neft is involved in four projects in Iraq, three of which are located in Kurdistan, the report added.