South of Sulaymaniyah
Oil field to be closed due to poor oil quality and water contamination
GARMIYAN, SULAYMANIYAH — The Chiasurkh oil field in Qoratu sub-district, part of the Garmiyan Administration, in Sulaymaniyah Governorate, is set to be permanently closed due to the poor quality of its oil. Operations at the field have been suspended for more than six months, with oil production halted due to water contamination affecting the oil quality.
Sardar Mohammed, the director of Qoratu sub-district, informed 964media, “On Wednesday, we were contacted by the Kurdistan Regional Government’s Ministry of Natural Resources regarding their decision to permanently close the oil field.”
Although an official written notice has not yet been received, the decision was communicated over the phone. The field is expected to be transferred from the operating company, Turkey’s Petoil, to the oil and gas police next week, Mohammed said.
Regarding the compensation of residents whose lands were included by the oil field, the sub-district head mentioned, “The Ministry of Natural Resources has suspended the compensation of those residents for several years. It remains unclear whether their lands will be returned to them after the closure of the oil field or if the compensations will resume. This matter is currently under the ministry’s jurisdiction.”
During its operation, the Chiasurkh oil field produced approximately 1,500 to 2,000 barrels of oil per day, which was used domestically within the Kurdistan region.
Persistent issues, including water contamination in the Chiasurkh oil wells over several months, have led to a decline in production. Efforts to resolve the problem, such as purchasing crude oil to mix with existing wells, proved unsuccessful.
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