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Iraq expects more from second energy auction

Sat Jul 4, 2009 9:49pm IST
 
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* Learning lessons from first round

* Chinese very keen in Iraq

By Missy Ryan

BAGHDAD, July 4 (Reuters) - The Iraqi government is hoping that a second major auction of oil and gas fields later this year will help revive a struggling oil industry where a first auction this week fell short, a government spokesman said.

"We think that the first (bidding) round didn't achieve the full objectives of the Ministry of Oil," government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh told Reuters on Saturday.

"At the same time, it was a good achievement especially in Rumaila oilfield ... With that level of production, we have compensated for the less(er) achievement of the first round. Generally we are happy with what we achieved," he said.

The auction last Tuesday, Iraq's first major competitive energy tender in decades and one of the biggest in history, stunned industry insiders when a wide gap between the government and oil majors over payment terms resulted in the sale of just one of eight fields put on the block.

Oil Minister Hussain al-Shahristani brushed aside criticism it was a flop, saying the deal reached with a BP-led (BP.L: Quote, Profile, Research) group for the country's largest explored oilfield, Rumaila, would on its own provide a bigger production boost than they had been hoping for from the first round.  Continued...

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