ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Kirkuk Governor Rebwar Taha announced on Wednesday that BP’s agreement with the Iraqi government to operate in the province will boost the local economy and generate job opportunities for residents. “BP can develop our oil fields so that our [oil] production increases,” he told Rudaw’s Hardi Mohammed, noting that it will also increase its petrodollar share - money is paid to Kirkuk city for every exported barrel of oil in the province. He added that it would also create job opportunities in the city. In January, an Iraqi delegation led by Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani traveled to London, where they signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the British energy giant to redevelop four oilfields in Kirkuk province. “The presence of BP is important for the present of Kirkuk and its future,” Taha said, adding that “we will take all measures for BP to work in Kirkuk.” In late January, Zaid Elyaseri, head of BP in Iraq, said the project could “stimulate the local economy by working with local companies and providing job opportunities.” He noted that BP was required to ensure that a percentage of its workforce in Kirkuk would be hired from the province. BP has been working in Kirkuk’s oil fields since the Iraqi federal government’s return to power in Kirkuk in October 2017. Previously, Kurdish Peshmerga forces were in control of the oil fields in Kirkuk, following the collapse of the Iraqi army in 2014 during the fight against the Islamic State (ISIS). “The direction in Kirkuk has now changed more towards investment,” the governor told Rudaw, stressing that the current administration is seeking to establish a more business-friendly environment. “Kirkuk has a secure environment now, a good geography, and four [ethnic] components which have become a strength for Kirkuk.” The agreement between BP and the Iraqi government on the redevelopment of Kirkuk’s oil fields is expected to be finalized later this month.
