BAGHDAD: Iraq published data showing details of its crude oil production and exports, a week after inviting energy reporters to Baghdad to show the country is pumping more crude than analysts and OPEC acknowledge, Kallanish Energy learns. The country’s state oil marketing agency released a statement Sunday showing September production figures for each of the 26 fields it controls, plus a single output figure for the semi-autonomous Kurdish region, which independently manages its crude production.
Previous monthly statements showed just two figures: total production and total exports. The Oil Marketing Co., known as SOMO, also provided detailed data on exports and domestic consumption. OPEC’s second-largest producer says it pumped more than 4.7 million barrels a day (MMBPD) in September, 200,000 BPD more than oil-industry watchers recognize. OPEC assesses output for its 14 members based secondary sources. Iraq wants the group to accept the ministry’s figures before a Nov. 30 meeting at which OPEC could limit production for its members.
Oil Minister Jabbar al-Luaibi complained about OPEC data at a meeting in September in Algiers, Bloomberg reported. The field-specific data for September illustrates how SOMO calculates Iraqi production, but it doesn’t provide a breakdown of Kurdish production, which accounts for much of the difference between the data cited by SOMO and secondary sources.
