Foreign Companies Snap Up Iraqi Oil Rights; U.S. Shut Out


Foreign energy companies came away with lucrative energy rights during Saturday’s second round of oil license auctions by the Iraqi government. Russia’s Lukoil won big and will be partnering with Norway’s Statoil to develop Iraq’s supergiant West Qurna Phase Two oil field in southern Iraq. Another Russian company, state-controlled Gazprom, led a group that will be developing the Badrah field.

Royal Dutch Shell was another big winner. The European firm won the contract for the the 12.6 billion barrel supergiant Majnoon field in partnership with the Malaysian national oil company, Petronas. Angola’s Sonogal was the sole bidder on two fields in northern Iraq.

None of the major U.S. oil companies submitted bids.

“The results of the bid round should lay to rest the old canard that the U.S. intervened in Iraq to secure Iraqi oil for American companies,” said Philip Frayne, a spokesman at the U.S. embassy in Baghdad.

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Comments2 Responses to “Foreign Companies Snap Up Iraqi Oil Rights; U.S. Shut Out”

James Lutz


If American companies were invited to submit bids, which it is obvious they were because one bid was made, one can't say they were shut out. I'm sure under the circumstances, the one offer made was probably a long shot. These european companies are probably only participating because they have irresponsible backing by the european banks and governments. My guess is that the American companies see too much risk.

KENN DRESCHER


Does any1 actually predict that after U.S. forces pull out, Iraq will be stable enough to support any "normal" enterprizes? I mean, civil war, and invasion by neighboring countries, on all boarders, ultimately an invasion, with world belssing by China, certainly are not within the realm of fiction.

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