Rumaila | |
---|---|
Country | Iraq |
Location | Basra, Iraq |
Offshore/onshore | Onshore |
Coordinates | 30°09′22″N 47°24′28″E / 30.156112°N 47.407722°E |
Operator | Rumaila Operating Organisation |
Owner | Basra Oil Company |
Partners | Technical Service Partners: Basra Energy Company Ltd (BECL) comprising BP and CNPC, State Oil Marketing Organization (SOMO) |
Field history | |
Discovery | 1953 |
Production | |
Current production of oil | 14,210,000 barrels per day (~7.081×10 8 t/a) |
Year of current production of oil | 2022 |
Estimated oil in place | 17,000 million barrels (~2.3×10 9 t) |
Producing formations | Main Pay, Mishrif, Upper Shale, Bn Umer, 4th Pay |
The Rumaila oil field is a super-giant oil field[1] located in southern Iraq, approximately 50km to the south west of Basra City.[2] Discovered in 1953 by the Basrah Petroleum Company (BPC), an associate company of the Iraq Petroleum Company (IPC),[3][4][5] the field is estimated to contain 17 billion barrels, which accounts for 12% of Iraq's oil reserves, estimated at 143 billion barrels.[6][7][8] Rumaila is said to be the largest oilfield ever discovered in Iraq[9] and one of the three largest oilfields in the world.[10]
Under Abd al-Karim Qasim, the oilfield was nationalised by the Iraqi government by Public Law No. 80 on 11 December 1961.[11] Since then, this massive oil field has remained under Iraqi control. The assets and rights of IPC were nationalized by Saddam Hussein in 1972, and those of BPC in 1975.[12] The dispute between Iraq and Kuwait over alleged slant-drilling in the field was one of the reasons for Iraq's invasion of Kuwait in 1990.[13][14]
After decades of under investment, by the early 2000s, the field was suffering not only from the natural base decline of its reservoirs, but also from ageing infrastructure and equipment, compromising both production capacity, environmental protection and safety.
North Rumaila is called "the cemetery" by the locals. A local environmental scientist told the BBC that cancer in the area is so rife it is "like the flu".[15]
The Rumaila Operating Organisation (ROO) continues to reduce gas flaring from its operated facilities at Rumaila. This reduced by a further 20% during 2022 – contributing to a reduction of more than 65% over the past seven years.[16]
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