Eldar Garaev, Iraq

On November 23, LUKOIL Overseas Iraq Exploration signed an agreement with Iraq’s Oil Exploration Company to conduct seismic tests at the Eridu oil reservoir (discovered in February of this year) and the so-far unexplored central and southern parts of Block 10 in the country’s south.

The 3D seismic exploration will help determine Eridu’s exact size and geological attributes. The tests will cover an area of 983 square kilometers. The exploration program foresees drilling additional exploration wells in the medium term.

Meanwhile LUKOIL will conduct 2D seismic tests at Block 10’s central and southern parts, covering a distance of 3,500 kilometers, with the goal of mapping perspective deposits for more detailed exploration in the future.

BLOCK 10

With a total area of 5.6 thousand square kilometers, Block 10 is located in the Dhi Qar and Muthanna provinces of southern Iraq. LUKOIL is operator of the project with a share of 60%, while Japan-based INPEX CORPORATION owns the remaining 40%. Iraq’s Southern Oil Company holds the contract from the Iraqi side. In February 2017 a major oil reservoir was discovered at Eridu-1 after the first exploration well had been drilled. Initial reports suggest it was the most significant oil discovery in Iraq in the last 20 years. The data gathered from the second and third wells confirmed a geological model of the well that was drafted earlier.