3 M barrels of Kirkuk oil in May generated $200 M

Kirkuk May 9, 2021- Flames in one of Bay Hassan oil wells following its bombing by the Islamic State IS militants. Photo by KirkukNow.

KirkukNow, Kirkuk

The five oil fields of Kirkuk have produced over three million barrels in May for 199 million Dollars while in April it has pumped only 2.86 million barrels making $177 M, Iraqi ministry of oil said.

Last February, oil fields of Kirkuk have pumped 3.8 for $213M, the highest in 2021.

In May, Iraq oil exports has soared up to almost 90 million barrels yet its revenues dropped to $ 5 billion as a barrel was marketed for $65 compared to 88.4 million barrels in April for $5.5 billion in April, $62 per barrel.

Over 91 M barrels were produced in March for $5.8 billion while February production hit 83 M barrels for $5 billion. Iraqi oil was marketed for $63 per barrel in March while in February was worth only $56.

Early 2020, Kirkuk was exporting only 1.1 million barrels exported to the Turkish Mediterranean port of Ceyhan by a pipeline crossing Iraqi Kurdistan.

Iraqi ministry of oil and North Oil company said on May 10th they have controlled the fire in a Bay Hassan oil well west of Kirkuk yet its restoration takes minimum three weeks.

A policeman was killed, two injured on May 4th in an attack by IS militants on oil guard units in the village of Aziziya of Bay Hassan Oil field in the district of Dubiz, or Dibis, 35 km west of the oil-rich city of Kirkuk.

Oil production stayed steady and unaffected, the ministry said.

Oil exports from the five major oil fields in Kirkuk stopped from July 2017 to first quarter of 2019 due to a standoff between the Iraqi government and Kurdistan regional government KRG.

The two major Kirkuk oil fields, Havana and Bai Hassan were under the control of the KRG which exported 250 thousand barrels of oil per day from the two fields.

Since the withdrawal of Kurdish forces end of 2017 from Kirkuk, the federal government has controlled Kirkuk oil fields which are Havana, Bai Hassan, Khabaza, Jambor and Qubai Baba managed by state-run North Oil Company.

Iraq's economy heavily relies on the exports of crude oil which makes over 95% of the country's total revenues.

The oil rich city of Kirkuk, located 238 kilometers north of Baghdad, is an ethnically mixed province for 1.2 million Kurds, Sunni and Shiite Arabs, and Turkmen. It has long been at the center of disputes between Baghdad and the Erbil.

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