Iraq completes seismic surveys at Khanaqin oil field
KHANAQIN, Iraq - Iraq has completed seismic surveys at the Naft Khana field in Diyala province, but a Kurdish lawmaker is worried the field in a disputed area is not being developed jointly by Erbil and Baghdad.
The seismic surveys are a key step before beginning exploratory drilling.
“Until you do seismic surveys, you don't know what oil fields or gas fields exist, you don't know how big or how small they are. You need to do seismic surveys for that block, that area, and then according to the results of those seismic surveys, we determine the well location, where to place the oil well,” Amir Mahmoud, director of oil fields in Diyala province, told Rudaw on Thursday.
The field is being developed by China's Geo-Jade Petroleum.
The oil-rich area near Khanaqin is located within the disputed territories, claimed by both Baghdad and Erbil. Suzan Mansour, who represents Diyala in the Iraqi parliament, is concerned that the Iraqi government is managing the resource without consulting with the Kurdistan Regional Government, in contradiction to the constitution.
“The people of this area should not be deprived of the benefits of oil, and the Kurdistan Regional Government should not be unaware of these [operations]. According to the constitution, both sides must coordinate,” she said.
Local officials, however, hope that with work on the field progressing, they may see support for developmental projects.
“God willing, the social contribution of Geo-Jade Petroleum will arrive soon,” said Jawad Faizullah, district commissioner of Khanaqin. “As the administration of Khanaqin, we have requested Mr. Adnan Shumari, the governor of Diyala, to support projects brought to Khanaqin through the social contributions of this company.”
