SULAIMANI (ESTA) — Iraq has temporarily shut down its West Qurna 2 oilfield for maintenance until March 2 at the earliest, Reuters cited a state oil official with knowledge of the field’s operations as saying on Friday.
The official said the maintenance included work on new wells and the linking of new pipelines, according to Reuters.
The official initially told Reuters that the field would resume production on March 2, then added that it could be between March 2-10.
West Qurna 2 produces about 400,000 barrels per day (bpd) of crude oil. Iraq, the second-largest producer in OPEC, exported an average of 3.2 million bpd in January, according to its oil ministry.
Iraq would make up for the shortfall in production, Reuters cited the official as saying.
The Iraq Oil Report, an industry magazine, earlier reported that the shutdown of West Qurna 2 would last until March 14.
