Iraq inaugurates a run trial in Makman al-Yamama in Basra

Shafaq News/ The Iraqi Minister of Oil, Ihsan Abdul-Jabbar, attended the trial run of Makman al-Yamama oil refinery ceremonial in the western al-Qurna/2 oilfield in Basra.

The operational capacity in the run trial commenced today, Thursday, will be initially by 10 thousand barrels a day before raising it to 350 thousand barrels a day.

Minister Abdul-Jabbar appraised the event, deeming it as a huge success in light of the economic and health challenges imposed by the spread of COVID-19.

"This addition in Makman al-Yamama aims will be annexed to the production volume of Makman Mashraf estimated at 450 thousand barrels a day. The total production volume of the western al-Qurna/2 oilfield will rise to 800 thousand barrels a day."

"Iraq aims to enhance its [production] capacity of the light and heavy crudes. It is a vital resource in the interest of the national economy. What has been achieved today is a technical, financial, environmental, and health challenges that we overcame."

Abdul-Jabbar commended the relations with Lukoil and the "long-term special relation" with the Russian company.

For his part, the managing director of Lukoil Mid-east limited, Egor Zubarev, expressed content with the trial run of Makman al-Yamama, ascribing it as a crucial developmental project in the western al-Qurna/2 oilfield and eulogizing the "huge cooperation with the Iraqi national effort to achieve mutual goals."

The Deputy Minister for Extraction Affairs, Karim Hattab, silver-lined "the mutual efforts of Basra oil and Lukoil that resulted in raising the production capacity of the oilfield, especially Makman Mashraf to 400 thousand barrels a day after it was only 130 thousand barrels a day.

The Director-General of Basra oil, Khaled Hamza, said, "the western al-Qurna oilfield in southern Iraq is one of the biggest oilfields worldwide with recoverable preliminary reserves of 12.9 barrel oil equivalent and a contractual area of 300 square kilometers.