The US government is backing Iraq’s plan to transfer Lukoil PJSC’s stake in a giant oil field to an American company, days before a sanctions waiver on the Russian firm is set to expire.
Iraq’s Oil Ministry last week said it’s approaching US companies to take over the majority holding in West Qurna 2, which pumps about 10 percent of the country’s crude. The Trump administration’s preference is for the Russian firm’s global assets to be taken over by a US entity, people familiar with the matter said last month.
The ministry didn’t name any companies, but US firms including Exxon Mobil Corp. and Chevron Corp. have emerged as potential suitors for Lukoil’s assets. For West Qurna-2, Iraq would prefer Exxon, which had previously operated the neighboring West Qurna 1 oil field, one person said, asking not to be identified because the information is private.
Exxon recently returned to Iraq after a two-year absence, signing an initial agreement in October that could pave the way for developing the Majnoon field in the country’s south. Chevron is in discussions to enter Iraq, Chief Executive Officer Mike Wirth said at the company’s Nov. 12 investor day. The company’s officials met with Iraq’s oil minister in Baghdad this week, according to a Iraqi statement.
“We are encouraged by the Iraqi Ministry of Oil’s initial agreements with Exxon and Chevron, the recent commitment to transition West Qurna-2 to a US operator,” a State Department spokesperson said in answer to questions from Bloomberg. “The United States will continue to champion the interests of American companies in Iraq.”
Exxon and Chevron declined to comment. A call to Lukoil’s press service went unanswered and the company didn’t respond to an email sent outside of normal business hours in Moscow on Monday.
Iraq, the second-largest producer in the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, has been seeking to attract Western investment in its oil fields to bolster technical capabilities. Securing a US operator for West Qurna 2 would serve this goal while also dovetailing with Washington’s strategic preferences.
After the US announced sanctions on Lukoil – intended to pressure Russia to reach a peace deal in Ukraine – Iraq’s state oil marketing company SOMO took over sales of the company’s share of crude from West Qurna 2, Ali Nizar Al-Shatri, the company’s general manager, told Asharq TV on Sunday.
SOMO was able to sell all the quantities available and production at the field will not be affected, Al-Shatri said. His comments alleviated concerns about a possible supply disruption on global markets stemming from the sanctions.
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