Oil and Gas Exploration In Iraq: Achievements and Prospects Salem J.RAZOKY Imad F. El BIR Geophysical Expert & Geological Expert Oil Exploration Co.(OEC),Iraq   Baghdad March 2005

Historical DevelopmentH     1902 : 1st exploration well in Chia Surkh structure .1st oil discovery in Oligocene marl. 1927 : Grand discovery of oil in Kirkuk super giant field. 1938 : Exploration activities terminated because of the war preparation.

  1948 : Commencing exploration again by IOCs using seismic methods, mainly in the South: -Zubair and Nahr Umr oil fields in 1948 -Rumaila oil field in 1953 1961 : Termination of exploration activities by IOCs according to law No.80

1964 : Iraq National Oil Co. (INOC) established.  1970 : 1st national seismic party. 1973 : W.Qurna super giant oil field discovered. followed by many other oil discoveries in the1970s and 1980s,

-Majnoon, E.Baghdad , Halfaya, Nasiriya, - Greater Nahr Umr . 1982 : (12) seismic parties owned by INOC and (11) contracted foreign seismic crews.   1990 : 3D party.   1990s : Only two or three national seismic parties operational .

1992 : Discovery of Akkas gas field in the western desert. 2003 : All operating seismic parties destroyed and/ or looted.

Main Exploration StatisticsM   Seismic surveys : 233k lin-kms of 2D lines and 3D surveys in two areas: Balad and Kifl. 204 exploration wells , 1902- 2002 ,in 124 strucures (136 domes) :

- - 96 wells by IOCs, in 63 Structures. -108 wells by National efforts after 1961 in 61 structures. - 5873 m T.D. of the deepest well in Iraq, WK – 1 in 1987 penetrating Butmah Formation in Lower Jurassic.

(73 +) fields discovered - 64 oil fields (10 super giants , 12 giants, 9 very large and 33 others ) - 9 gas fields   23 producing fields

d and ResultsAchievements IPC , MPC and BPC discovered some (34) billion barrels of proven recoverable reserves until 1961 .   National exploration activities discovered more than 100 billion barrels of additional proven oil reserves, making Iraq second only to

  Saudia Arabia, with a total of about 115 billion barrels of proven oil reserves, 214 billion barrels of possible oil reserves, and the important gas discovery in Akkas field in the western desert.

   These proven oil reserves are : - about 72% from Cretaceous reservoirs.   - about 20% from Tertiary reservoirs   -The rest are from Jurassic and Triassic reservoirs. In addition , the exploration activities indicated the presence of (3080) BCM of proven gas reserves with about (9250)

These proven oil and gas reserves are located in some (73) oil and gas fields:   - 64 oil fields ~ 10 super giant fields “each with more than five billion barrels of recoverable oil reserves",

~ 12 giant fields “each with recoverable oil reserves between one and five billion barrels" , ~ 9 very large fields " each with recoverable oil reserves between 0.5 to 1 billion barrels ",and ~ 33 fields of different sizes). - 9 gas fields.

The highest daily production rates achieved until 2004 was 3.5 MBPD oil in 1979 and (1500) BCFPD gas in 1990 due to the abnormal circumstances in the last 25 years. Strangely enough , Iraq is the least explored country in the region with an average of less than one exploration well per 2000 square kilometers.  

Expectations and ProspectsE   Many internal studies in the last (15) years indicated the possibility of producing up to 6 MBPD while some experts envisaged higher rates; i.e., - 8 MBPD - or even 10 MBPD and more.

With (543) known structures and important structural anomalies and - when only (136) of them are tapped - while more than 400 structures and hundreds of stratigraphic anomalies are not yet drilled ,

- The expectation of new discoveries is very high, especially when deep reservoirs in the 10 super giant , 12 giant and 9 very large fields have not been explored taking into consideration the presence of important proven reserves in similar or equivalent deep formations in the surrounding Gulf countries.

With some 50 plus oil and gas fields already discovered , yet not delineated and / or developed , we expect important improvements in their reserves and in the overall daily production when they would be put on stream.   With the important Paleozoic gas discovery in Akkas, the first structure drilled in the

Western desert , we expect additional important discoveries in that region where we have many important structures. We also expect to discover gas in many more important northeastern structures where gas has already been discovered in several structures.

   Oil and / or gas and condensates are expected to be discovered in many of the other important structures, structural anomalies and many stratigraphic anomalies in other parts of Iraq, The increase in the proven reserves and daily production of both oil and gas is very highly possible.

If and when these activities are executed with all other supporting activities, including those related to the necessary infra- structure, Iraq's Status in the International Petroleum Industry could advance from its position prevailing now as having 2nd highest oil reserves and its abnormal rather low daily production.