Royal Dutch Shell Plc (NYSE: RDS.A) is considering selling out of its oil fields in Iraq as part of its global $30 billion asset disposal program, industry sources said on Nov. 28.
Shell is seeking to slim down its vast oil and gas portfolio following the $54 billion acquisition of BG Group in February, which transformed it into the world's top LNG trader.
With oil prices slumping since 2014, the company wants to focus on business areas with the highest returns, such as LNG and deepwater oil production in Brazil and the U.S. Gulf of Mexico.
A spokesman for Shell in London declined to comment.
The Anglo-Dutch company, which has been present in Iraq for over a century, has found only limited financial benefits in recent years from its involvement in Iraq's oil production, where it is paid in crude oil but has limited say on production strategy, the sources said.
However, Shell continues to see value in developing its gas business in Iraq and is not interested in selling those interests, the sources said.
Iraq accounted for about 4.4% of Shell's total oil and gas production in 2015, according to its 2015 annual report.
The move to sell the oil interests highlights the difficulties Iraq faces in its efforts to increase crude output as foreign oil companies such as Shell have found the terms of the production service contracts unappealing.
Shell is the operator of the giant Majnoon Field near Basrah in southern Iraq, which started production in 2014.
Iraq signed contracts with a large number of oil majors about six years ago as it emerged from years of sanctions and internal conflict.
Baghdad initially wanted to rival Saudi Arabia by reaching production of over 10 million barrels per day (MMbbl/d), but red tape, corruption and poor infrastructure were blamed for delaying projects, which resulted in oil output projections being halved.
National output has nevertheless recently risen sharply to about 4.7 MMbbl/d as some projects started paying off.
Iraq has been pushing the foreign companies including BP Plc (NYSE: BP), Lukoil, ExxonMobil Corp. (NYSE: XOM), Shell and China National Petroleum Corp. to increase their investments to give it further production gains.
Shell holds a 45% interest in the Majnoon oil field that it operates under a technical service contract that expires in 2030, according to its 2015 annual report. Malaysia's national oil company Petronas holds a 30% stake in the field, while the Iraqi government holds the remaining 25%.
Production from Majnoon averaged 206 Mbbl/d in 2015.
Shell also has a 20% interest in the West Qurna 1 Field, which is operated by Exxon.
Recommended Reading
Crescent Point Energy to Rebrand as Veren Inc.
2024-03-21 - The company will seek shareholder approval for the change at its upcoming annual and special meeting of shareholders on May 10.
SM Energy Adds Brookman to Board, Promotes Lebeck to Executive VP
2024-02-23 - Barton R. Brookman previously served as President and CEO of PDC Energy and James B. Lebeck served as senior vice president and general counsel since January 2023.
ArcLight Creates AlphaGen to Manage Firm’s US Power Infrastructure Portfolio
2024-01-11 - Alpha Generation, owned by ArcLight Capital Partners, will manage one of the U.S.’ largest power infrastructure portfolios with annual revenues of about $2 billion.
Mike Howard Joins Atlas Energy Solutions’ Board
2024-02-15 - Mike Howard brings more than 28 years of midstream energy experience to Atlas Energy Solutions’ board of directors.
Shell’s CEO Sawan Says Confidence in US LNG is Slipping
2024-02-05 - Issues related to Venture Global LNG’s contract commitments and U.S. President Joe Biden’s recent decision to pause approvals of new U.S. liquefaction plants have raised questions about the reliability of the American LNG sector, according to Shell CEO Wael Sawan.