Iraqi Siba Gas Field Starts

Kuwait Energy has started natural gas production from Siba field in the Iraqi province of Basra, Iraqi oil ministry said April 25. Iraqi oil minister Jabar Al-Luaibi inaugurated the central production plant for the gas field which has a capacity of 25mn ft³/d.

Kuwait Energy was awarded a 20-year gas development and production service contract for the Siba field in June 2011, granting the company operatorship and 45% revenue interest. Turkish Petroleum Corporation and Missan Oil Company are other partners in the field.

Al-Luaibi said that the start of the Siba field is the first step towards attaining the production target of 100mn ft³/d. He said that the gas will be supplied to power plants.

Siba field was first discovered in 1968 and is estimated to hold 1.1 trillion ft³ of gas, or about 30bn m³. Kuwait Energy also has a stake in another Iraqi gas field, Mansuriya, in Diyala province.