Gulf Keystone Petroleum Ltd. will suspend its current drilling campaign at its operated Shaikan field in the Kurdistan region of Iraq until conditions related to Coronavirus (COVID-19) improve to ensure safe operations.
To limit the spread of the virus, the Kurdistan Regional Government has put in place a series of tight controls on the movement of personnel into and around the region, thus, drilling is suspended with the SH-13 well.
Production rates from the field are at 38,000 b/d of oil. Production currently continues unaffected, but the company has restricted access to its production facilities. Therefore, certain construction activities related to the expansion to 55,000 b/d of oil, also have been suspended until circumstances improve (OGJ Online, Jan. 17, 2019).
The planned production increase, scheduled for this year’s third quarter, and average production guidance of 43,000– 8,000 b/d remain priorities, the company said, but the suspension may impact its ability to meet these targets.