OREANDA-NEWS. November 14, 2012. I am pleased to announce the launch of the Nasiriya Integrated Project and to invite interested companies to become formally qualified to participate in its development.

The project contemplates the integrated development of the (4+) billion barrel Nasiriya oil field in Thi-Qar province together with the construction and operation of a new (300,000) barrel per day refinery for which Foster Wheeler has recently completed a FEED study.  

The Ministry of Oil, through the Petroleum Contracts and Licensing Directorate (PCLD), is now seeking expressions of interest from suitably experienced refinery operators (companies) that will join with qualified upstream operators (companies) to develop the project.

Companies that have already qualified for participation in previous upstream licensing rounds, but which have appropriate capabilities as refinery operators, are requested to update their qualification submissions accordingly (in respect of refinery activities).

The Ministry plans to invite qualified companies to review packages of relevant data and participate in a process during which all substantive contractual aspects and conditions will be discussed and settled with a view to making an award to the consortium with the most competitive proposition by end-2013.

Qualification requirements, along with qualification payment details, may be found, subsequent to this announcement, on the Ministry of Oil’s website athttp://www.oil.gov.iq.  Qualification information should be received by the PCLD by Thursday December 13, 2012.

The PCLD plans to announce the qualified companies by the end of January 2013, and hold an initial meeting with companies that have expressed interest during the first quarter of 2013.