
East Baghdad field to start producing oil and gas in 2026
In a statement to Shafaq News, Fawzi elaborated that the East Baghdad field's oil production is expected to reach 120,000 barrels per day by June 2026, suggesting that the gas production phase will begin afterwards.
Gas production in the East Baghdad field is anticipated to begin in September 2026, with an expected output ranging between 25 and 50 million cubic feet per day, according to Fawzi.
As part of a plan to drill 18 oil wells in the southern part of the East Baghdad field, the state-owned Iraqi Drilling Company (IDC) announced in February that drilling had begun in the first well.
The Iraqi Ministry of Oil said in a statement that the step is part of the ministry's strategic goals and collaborative efforts with the Chinese company EBS to support and develop the country's oil sector.
An enormous discovery just raised the reserves of the East Baghdad field, one of Iraq's most significant oil resources, to 15 billion barrels.
This discovery enhances Iraq's position as one of the world's top oil producers and creates new avenues for output expansion and revenue generation.
In collaboration with the Chinese oil company EBS, Iraq's Midland Oil Company (MOD) said in January that two billion more barrels had been found in the oil field.
Given that this discovery represents the largest expansion in central Iraq's crude oil reserves in decades, the energy industry is paying close attention to it. Several studies are being done to develop strategies to maximize productivity and use this important resource.
This finding raises the overall reserves of the East Baghdad field to 15 billion barrels, up from 13 billion barrels before the latest discovery, according to Mohammed Yassin Hassan, director general of the state-run MOC.
The discovery is a major step that supports the Iraqi oil sector and increases national income since the oil field is considered the largest in central Iraq.

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