Iraq Kurdistan's Tawke field a larger oil giant

By OGJ editors
HOUSTON, July 12 -- Consulting engineers have estimated a midrange of 636 million bbl of recoverable oil at Tawke field in the northern part of Iraqi Kurdistan.

Field operator DNO International ASA said the estimate is more than double and yearend 2010 estimate of 306 million bbl and far exceeds company expectations of even a few months ago. The new figure certainly was not envisaged when the company made the Tawke discovery in 2006, DNO said.

Recent performance has proven the field's exceptional reservoir quality, the company added.

Tawke's original oil in place is estimated at 1.748 billion bbl, and the estimated recovery factor of 36.4% is based on the 2011 production profile and updated geological reservoir models. Tawke production averages 70,000 b/d.

Meanwhile, DNO estimated midrange recoverable resources of 100 million bbl for Bastora and 36 million bbl for Benenan, its oil discoveries on the Erbil license. The resources are based on estimated combined OOIP of 950 million bbl and recovery factors of 18% for Bastora and 9% for Benenan. DNO declared the fields commercial on June 25 and plans to file development plans by yearend.

In its report to the Ministry of Natural Resources, DNO International estimated that its three operated Kurdistan licenses have a gross potential of 3.05 billion bbl in place in known, undrilled geological horizons.