SUBSCRIBE
PROFILE

DNO restarts oil production in Iraqi Kurdistan

Norwegian oil group DNO restarts production at a key field in Iraqi Kurdistan after shutdown due to regional tensions. Discover the evolution of oil exports, the legal stakes and the complex relations between Baghdad, Kurdistan and neighboring Turkey.

Share:

Comprehensive energy news coverage, updated nonstop

Annual subscription

8.25£/month*

*billed annually at 99£/year for the first year then 149,00£/year ​

Unlimited access • Archives included • Professional invoice

SUBSCRIBE - 99£/year

OTHER ACCESS OPTIONS

Monthly subscription

Unlimited access • Archives included

5.2£/month*
then 14.90£ per month thereafter

FREE ACCOUNT

3 articles offered per month

FREE

*Prices are excluding VAT, which may vary depending on your location or professional status

Since 2021: 35,000 articles • 150+ analyses per week

Norwegian oil group DNO, one of the leading oil producers in Iraqi Kurdistan, announced on Thursday that it had restarted production at one of its fields in the region, shut down in March due to the export freeze imposed by Turkey.

Tawke oil field: Export trends and impact of court rulings

The oil issue has long poisoned relations between the authorities in Baghdad, those in Iraqi Kurdistan, an autonomous region in the north of the country, and neighboring Turkey. The Tawke field resumed production last month and is now pumping an average of 40,000 barrels per day (bp/d), DNO said on the occasion of the presentation of its quarterly financial results.

In March, the company announced the planned shutdown of production at its Tawke and Peshkabir fields, which produced an average of 107,000 bp/d in 2022, or at the time a quarter of Iraqi Kurdistan’s crude exports. But after years of going it alone in exporting oil via Turkey, Iraqi Kurdistan had to bow to a ruling by the International Chamber of Commerce arbitration tribunal in Paris in Baghdad’s favor at the end of March regarding the management of this oil.

Following this verdict, Turkey stopped the transit of Kurdish oil through its territory via pipeline. Half of the oil produced on Tawke is now delivered to the Kurdistan Regional Government and the other half to local trading companies and shipped by tanker, DNO explained. Sales prices are variable, and on average half what they were before the deposit was shut down, “but payments are made promptly and directly to DNO”, the group also claimed. The Peshkabir deposit remains closed. Iraq, the second-largest OPEC country, exports an average of 3.3 million barrels of crude oil a day.

  • Popular on energynews.pro
Vema Hydrogen joins California public hydrogen programme with its EMH technology
Mazama Energy reaches 331 °C with its geothermal reactor and targets large-scale production
BP restarts Whiting refinery after power outage and fire
Vistra acquires 2.6 GW gas portfolio from Lotus Infrastructure
Political crisis in France slows offshore wind development
Argentina appeals $16.1bn judgment linked to YPF nationalisation
Argentina seeks to overturn a U.S. court ruling ordering it to pay $16.1bn to two YPF shareholders after the 2012 partial expropriation of the oil group.
Washington temporarily authorises operations linked to Rosneft’s German assets
The United States has issued a general license allowing transactions with two German subsidiaries of Rosneft, giving Berlin until April 2026 to resolve their ownership status.
Jameson Land in Greenland identified with 13 billion barrels of potential oil
An independent report estimates 13.03 billion barrels of potential oil resources in Greenland’s Jameson Land Basin, placing the site among the largest undeveloped fields globally.
Sinopec posts 32% drop in nine-month net profit on oil and fuel slump
Impacted by falling oil prices and weak fuel sales, Sinopec reports a sharp decline in profitability over the first three quarters, with a strategic shift toward higher-margin products.
Citizen Energy launches $20mn drilling fund targeting the Anadarko Basin
Citizen Energy Ventures enters the private placement market with a $20mn fund to develop eight wells in the Cherokee Formation of Oklahoma’s historic Anadarko Basin.
US crude oil imports fall to lowest level since 2021
US crude stocks dropped by 6.9 million barrels, defying forecasts, amid a sharp decline in imports and a weekly statistical adjustment by the Energy Information Administration.
Lukoil begins sale of international assets after new US sanctions
Lukoil has started divesting its foreign assets following new US oil sanctions, a move that could reshape its overseas presence and impact supply in key European markets.
Kazakhstan considers swift decision on Lukoil’s local assets
Kazakhstan is reviewing Lukoil's stakes in major oil projects after the Russian group announced plans to divest its international assets following new US sanctions.
Pemex cuts crude output but increases refining in third quarter
The Mexican state-owned company reduced its crude extraction by 6.7% while boosting its refining activity by 4.8%, and narrowed its financial losses compared to the previous year.
Washington’s shift on Chevron disrupts Venezuela’s oil economy
The new US licence granted to Chevron significantly alters financial flows between Venezuela and the United States, affecting the local currency, oil revenues and the country's economic balance.
Three Crown boosts output with 752 boe/d well in Wyoming
Three Crown Petroleum reports a steady initial flow rate of 752 barrels of oil equivalent per day from its Irvine 1NH well in the Powder River Basin, marking a key step in its horizontal drilling programme in the Niobrara.
Cenovus revises terms of MEG Energy acquisition and sells assets to Strathcona
Cenovus Energy adjusts its MEG Energy acquisition offer to $30 per share and signs a voting support agreement with Strathcona Resources, while selling assets worth up to CAD150mn.
Baghdad in talks over OPEC quota despite exports at 3.6 million barrels
Iraq is negotiating a potential revision of its OPEC production limit while maintaining exports at around 3.6 million barrels per day despite significantly higher capacity.
Orban attend des garanties énergétiques lors de sa rencontre avec Trump à Washington
Le Premier ministre hongrois se rendra à Washington pour discuter avec Donald Trump des sanctions américaines contre le pétrole russe, dans un contexte de guerre en Ukraine et de dépendance persistante de la Hongrie aux hydrocarbures russes.
Aliko Dangote aims to make his refinery the world’s largest within three years
Nigerian tycoon Aliko Dangote plans to expand his refinery’s capacity to 1.4 million barrels per day, reshaping regional energy dynamics through an unmatched private-sector project in Africa.
COOEC wins $4bn QatarEnergy offshore field development contract
COOEC has signed a $4bn EPC contract with QatarEnergy to develop the offshore Bul Hanine oil field, marking the largest order ever secured by a Chinese company in the Gulf.
Borr Drilling ends two contracts in Mexico due to sanctions
The group terminates commitments for the Odin and Hild rigs in Mexico, initially scheduled through November 2025 and March 2026, due to sanctions affecting an involved counterparty, while reaffirming compliance with applicable international frameworks.
Shell pursues ambitions in the Orange Basin despite court ruling
Shell has filed an appeal against the cancellation of its environmental authorisation for Block 5/6/7 off the South African coast, aiming to continue exploration in a geologically strategic offshore zone.
Chevron and Helleniq Energy secure four offshore exploration permits in Greece
The Greek government has selected a consortium led by Chevron to explore hydrocarbons in four maritime zones in the Ionian Sea and south of Crete, with geophysical surveys scheduled to begin in 2026.
Sonatrach resumes drilling in Libya after more than ten years of security-related halt
Algerian company Sonatrach has resumed exploration activities in Libya's Ghadames Basin, halted since 2014, as part of a strategic revival of the country's oil sector.

All the latest energy news, all the time

Annual subscription

8.25£/month*

*billed annually at 99£/year for the first year then 149,00£/year ​

Unlimited access - Archives included - Pro invoice

START - 99£/year

Monthly subscription

Unlimited access • Archives included

5.2£/month*
then 14.90£ per month thereafter

*Prices shown are exclusive of VAT, which may vary according to your location or professional status.

Since 2021: 30,000 articles - +150 analyses/week.