Yemen’s government has declined Nexen Inc.’s request to extend the production sharing agreement on Masila Block 14, which will be operated by a newly created Yemen national operating company after it expires Dec. 17.

Gulf Keystone Petroleum Ltd. plans to build and upgrade facilities that will make it possible to produce and export 20,000 b/d of oil by mid-2012 and 40,000 b/d by the end of the year from Shaikan, which it calls one of the three major oil fields in Iraqi Kurdistan today.

A group led by Noble Energy Inc. has started up Aseng oil and gas-condensate field in the Douala basin east of Equatorial Guinea’s Bioko Island 13% under budget and 7 months ahead of the original schedule (OGJ Online, July 22, 2009).

Eni SPA has started gas production from Guendalina gas field in the Adriatic off northeastern Italy.

Cairn India Ltd., soon to be controlled by Vedanta Resources, London, says production from its complex of fields in Rajasthan, India, can reach 175,000 b/d of oil by next April after beginning this year at 125,000 b/d (OGJ Online, Jan. 27, 2010).

Production of natural gas started from the Wintershall Noordzee BV-operated Wingate project on Block 44/24b in the UK North Sea.

Premier Oil Vietnam Offshore BV has started production from Chim Sao oil field on Block 12W about 350 km offshore southern Vietnam (OGJ Online, Apr. 18, 2011).

Apache Energy has finally committed to development of the Balnaves oil field offshore Western Australia.

Rockhopper Exploration PLC said it will invest about $2 billion to start oil production from the North Falkland basin in early 2016.

Natural gas production has started from Serrette field off Trinidad and Tobago, reported BP Trinidad & Tobago (BPTT), the field’s operator. Serrette lies in 280 ft of water off southeastern Trinidad.

Hoang Long Joint Operating Co. has placed Te Giac Trang field H1 area on production in the Cuu Long basin off Vietnam.

 LLOG Exploration Co. LLC, Covington, La., is wrapping up a multiwell Gulf of Mexico exploration and development program that has allowed it to run one deepwater rig continuously since the Macondo incident, and it has won approval of its first plan of exploration since Macondo.

Kuwait Oil Co. has let a contract to ABB for a 123-km, 30-in. pipeline to carry crude oil from northern Kuwait to a tank farm and mixing manifold in Ahmadi.