Thursday, April 19, 2007
KRG will not sign draft oil law
Oil, Kurdistan
(Reuters) - Iraq's Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) will not sign up to details in the emerging oil law that would centralise control of most of the country's reserves, the region's top energy official said on Wednesday. Disagreement could delay the country's parliament from passing the law, seen as key to attracting billions of dollars in foreign investment needed to overhaul the industry and boost oil output. Annexes to the draft oil law that aim to wrest oilfields from regional governments and place them in the hands of a newly formed state-oil company are unconstitutional, Ashti Hawrami, minister of natural resources in the semi-autonomous region in northern Iraq told Reuters.
Labels: Ashti Hawrami, draft oil law, Kurdistan Regional Government
Monday, April 16, 2007
Dana Gas signs agreement with Kurdish government
Kurdistan, Business
(Asharq Al-Awsat) - Dana Gas, the Middle East’s first regional private-sector natural gas company, announced that it has concluded important agreements, including a Strategic Alliance Protocol, with the Kurdistan Regional Government of Iraq. These agreements form part of a strategy to advance the considerable economic benefits available to the region through the successful development of its substantial gas resources.
The agreements were signed in Erbil by Nechirvan Barzani, the Prime Minister of the Kurdistan Regional Government, and Hamid Dhiya Jafar, Executive Chairman of Dana Gas, in a ceremony that was attended by several KRG officials, as well as by several Members of the Board of Directors of Dana Gas, and Directors of Crescent Petroleum.
Under the terms of the Strategic Alliance Protocol, the Kurdistan Regional Government, Dana Gas, and its affiliate Crescent Petroleum will jointly review the natural gas resources in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq with a view to the optimization, development and utilization of that substantial resource.
As part of the Strategic Alliance Protocol, the “Kurdistan Gas City” project was launched. This is a major new gas-utilization industrial complex designed to promote private sector investment in a variety of gas-related industries for optimal use of the region’s natural gas resources. These will further benefit the country’s citizens through training, job creation, and the promotion of general economic activity.
In addition, Dana Gas was appointed on a service contract basis to develop, process and transport natural gas from the Khor Mor Gas Field on a fast-track basis, and to also concurrently appraise the potential of the Chemchemal Gas Field, in order to provide urgently-needed natural gas supplies to fuel domestic electrical power generation plants currently under construction near Erbil and Suleymania, by January 2008. For this purpose, Dana Gas will be diverting a state-of-the-art gas processing plant currently nearing completion which it had previously acquired for another project, in order to circumvent the typical 2-year lead time required for a new construction.
The agreements were signed in Erbil by Nechirvan Barzani, the Prime Minister of the Kurdistan Regional Government, and Hamid Dhiya Jafar, Executive Chairman of Dana Gas, in a ceremony that was attended by several KRG officials, as well as by several Members of the Board of Directors of Dana Gas, and Directors of Crescent Petroleum.
Under the terms of the Strategic Alliance Protocol, the Kurdistan Regional Government, Dana Gas, and its affiliate Crescent Petroleum will jointly review the natural gas resources in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq with a view to the optimization, development and utilization of that substantial resource.
As part of the Strategic Alliance Protocol, the “Kurdistan Gas City” project was launched. This is a major new gas-utilization industrial complex designed to promote private sector investment in a variety of gas-related industries for optimal use of the region’s natural gas resources. These will further benefit the country’s citizens through training, job creation, and the promotion of general economic activity.
In addition, Dana Gas was appointed on a service contract basis to develop, process and transport natural gas from the Khor Mor Gas Field on a fast-track basis, and to also concurrently appraise the potential of the Chemchemal Gas Field, in order to provide urgently-needed natural gas supplies to fuel domestic electrical power generation plants currently under construction near Erbil and Suleymania, by January 2008. For this purpose, Dana Gas will be diverting a state-of-the-art gas processing plant currently nearing completion which it had previously acquired for another project, in order to circumvent the typical 2-year lead time required for a new construction.
Labels: Chemchemal Gas Field, Crescent Petroleum, Dana gas, Hamid Dhiya Jafar, Khor Mor Gas Field, KRG, Kurdistan Regional Government, Nechervan Barzani
Thursday, April 05, 2007
Kurdistan Regional Government airs first government TV channel
Media
(Kurdish Globe) - The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) Ministry of Culture (MOC) will soon air the first government satellite TV channel, to be named Nawroz (Kurdish New Year celebration). It will gear its programs toward KRG activities and youths.
"After unifying both administrations in Kurdistan and forming a new government, the Ministry of Culture decided to establish a government media to demonstrate its activities and build an educated Kurdish society," said Halgurd Abdul Wahab, general director of MOC's media. Wahab stated that the building of Nawroz TV has finished completion, at a cost of more than $5 million. He said that the KRG appropriated a very good budget for the TV's operations. Most of the Kurdish satellites and local TVs are controlled and belong to Kurdish political parties; the government doesn't have TV.
Nawroz TV consists of three part-time channels on one screen (known as Sub-TVs): Fermi TV (government activities), Zaro TV (for children), and Law TV, which in Kurdish language means youth TV. Wahab said Nawroz TV will appropriate 19% of its time to children. Those programs will be educational and far removed from the violence, racism, and dogmatism that dominate so much television. Nawroz TV will air many programs about Kurdish youths and their problems, and their TV programs will be under the supervision of the MOC.
Wahab explained that the rest of the TV time will broadcast news on Kurdistan parliament activities, the ministerial council, and the presidency of Kurdistan. "We will air every parliament session live, as well as every Kurdistan President and Kurdistan Prime Minister press conference," said Wahab. Wahab mentioned that they have some transparency and openness that will allow people to directly complain, criticize the government, and seek rights.
"After unifying both administrations in Kurdistan and forming a new government, the Ministry of Culture decided to establish a government media to demonstrate its activities and build an educated Kurdish society," said Halgurd Abdul Wahab, general director of MOC's media. Wahab stated that the building of Nawroz TV has finished completion, at a cost of more than $5 million. He said that the KRG appropriated a very good budget for the TV's operations. Most of the Kurdish satellites and local TVs are controlled and belong to Kurdish political parties; the government doesn't have TV.
Nawroz TV consists of three part-time channels on one screen (known as Sub-TVs): Fermi TV (government activities), Zaro TV (for children), and Law TV, which in Kurdish language means youth TV. Wahab said Nawroz TV will appropriate 19% of its time to children. Those programs will be educational and far removed from the violence, racism, and dogmatism that dominate so much television. Nawroz TV will air many programs about Kurdish youths and their problems, and their TV programs will be under the supervision of the MOC.
Wahab explained that the rest of the TV time will broadcast news on Kurdistan parliament activities, the ministerial council, and the presidency of Kurdistan. "We will air every parliament session live, as well as every Kurdistan President and Kurdistan Prime Minister press conference," said Wahab. Wahab mentioned that they have some transparency and openness that will allow people to directly complain, criticize the government, and seek rights.
Labels: Halgurd Abdul Wahab, Kurdistan Regional Government, Ministry of Culture, Nawroz TV
Wednesday, March 14, 2007
KRG publishes English translation of draft oil law
Oil, KRG
(KRG.org) The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) Spokesman published an authorised English translation of the draft Federal Oil and Gas Law for Iraq on March 9th. The original Arabic draft, also published by the KRG on the same date, was prepared by the Oil and Energy Committee of the Iraq Council of Ministers on 15 February 2007. That draft was later approved by the Council. The drafts can be downloaded at the links below.
The English translation published today was prepared and authorised by the KRG. “These are the drafts recognised by the KRG”, said KRG Natural Resources Minister Dr. Ashti Hawrami. “Old and inaccurate translations of this vital draft law have been circulating in the media in recent weeks. By publishing the original Arabic and the authoritative English translation together, we hope to make the picture clearer for potential investors in Iraq.” Dr. Hawrami represents the KRG on the Oil and Energy Committee.
Allocation of fields, model contracts, and Revenue Sharing Law outstanding Pursuant to the Iraq Constitution and the draft law, the KRG will sign contracts for new fields in the Kurdistan Region. In a departure from the Iraq Constitution, the law establishes an independent advisory body, to be jointly appointed by the KRG and the Federal Government, to ensure that all contracts will meet certain minimum economic guidelines. The KRG has also voluntarily agreed that existing KRG petroleum contracts, which are explicitly validated by the Iraq Constitution, may also be reviewed by a panel of independent advisors.
Draft oil law in English: http://www.krg.org/uploads/documents/Draft%20Iraq%20Oil%20and%20Gas%20Law%20English__2007_03_10_h23m31s47.pdf
Labels: Dr. Ashti Hawrami, draft oil law, KRG, Kurdistan Regional Government, Oil and Energy Committee of the Iraq Council of Ministers
