RIL shies away from Iraqi oil tender
Reliance Industries has shied away from registering for Iraqi oil field tender apparently after Baghdad threatened to blacklist the company for signing oil deals with the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG).
By PTI |
New Delhi: Reliance Industries has shied away from registering for Iraqi oil field tender apparently after Baghdad threatened to blacklist the company for signing oil deals with the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG).
Iraq had invited international companies to register for undertaking oil field development but Reliance Industries did not register at the close of the deadline yesterday.
"We analysed the situation and decided not to make any further commitment in Iraq as of now," a RIL official said.
Iraqi Oil Minister had in November said that Baghdad will blacklist companies which (including Reliance Industries which had signed deals with KRG) had signed oil deals with KRG.
"Our position is very clear. Any company that signs contracts with the Kurdish Regional Government without approval of the central government, they will compromise chances of getting future opportunities in Iraq," Iraq's Oil Minister Hussain Al-Shahristani had said on November 15 in Riyadh.
"Baghdad had conveyed this to all the companies that have recently signed production sharing contracts... That has also been conveyed to Reliance Industries," Hussain had said.
Reliance Industries (RIL) had signed the contract for the blocks Rovi and Sarta in northern Iraq with the autonomous Kurdish Regional Government (KRG). The blocks, measuring 517 and 607 sq km respectively, have almost 80 per cent oil bearing structure.
State-run ONGC has, however, registered for the tender for exploring for oil in the world's third largest oil bearing country.
Iraq had invited international companies to register for undertaking oil field development but Reliance Industries did not register at the close of the deadline yesterday.
"We analysed the situation and decided not to make any further commitment in Iraq as of now," a RIL official said.
Iraqi Oil Minister had in November said that Baghdad will blacklist companies which (including Reliance Industries which had signed deals with KRG) had signed oil deals with KRG.
"Our position is very clear. Any company that signs contracts with the Kurdish Regional Government without approval of the central government, they will compromise chances of getting future opportunities in Iraq," Iraq's Oil Minister Hussain Al-Shahristani had said on November 15 in Riyadh.
"Baghdad had conveyed this to all the companies that have recently signed production sharing contracts... That has also been conveyed to Reliance Industries," Hussain had said.
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Reliance Industries (RIL) had signed the contract for the blocks Rovi and Sarta in northern Iraq with the autonomous Kurdish Regional Government (KRG). The blocks, measuring 517 and 607 sq km respectively, have almost 80 per cent oil bearing structure.
State-run ONGC has, however, registered for the tender for exploring for oil in the world's third largest oil bearing country.
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