2009/7/1　日本経済新聞

イラク油田　英中連合落札 BPとCNPC
　40年ぶり国際入札、復興へ外資導入の第一歩　大半の案件で企業慎重

　イラクは30日、有力油田と天然ガス田、合計8カ所の開発事業を外資に開放する国際入札を実施し、最大規模の南部ルメイラ油田の開発で英BPと中国石油天然気集団(CNPC)の企業連合が落札を決めた。イラク戦争後の復興を急ぐための本格的な外資導入に向けた第一歩となる。ただ、大半の企業の提示額はイラク側の希望額とかけ離れ、イラクに対する現状認識の差を露呈する形にもなった。
　原油埋蔵量で世界3位のイラクが油田開発の国際入札を実施するのは約40年ぶり。イラクは1972年に石油産業を国有化し、国際石油資本(メジャー)などの参入が阻まれてきた。今回の入札対象は北部キルクークや南部ズバイルなど油田6カ所と、西部のアッカスなどガス田2カ所。20年間にわたり生産し、生産量に応じて対価を得る。
　落札企業が決まったのはルメイラ油田のみ。落札したCNPCは上場企業である中国石油天然気(ペトロチャイナ)の親会社。同油田の原油埋蔵量は約170億バレルで今回の入札対象では最大規模。１ガス田で応札がなかったほか、大半の案件で企業側が求める受取額とイラク側の支払い希望額が大きくかけ離れた。
　北部バイハッサン油田で米コノコフィリップスなどの要求額がイラク側の支払い希望額の7倍弱、南部マイサン油田では中国海洋石油(CNOOC）などの要求額が同約11倍だった。治安問題などをリスク要因として金額に上乗せする企業側との溝は埋まらなかった。
　石油資源開発はCNPC、マレーシアのぺトロナス、インドネシアのプルタミナとの連合で西クルナ油田に応札したが、落札できなかった。イラク側は決まらなかった案件の一部について、希望額を再提示、参加企業に再応札を求める。
　今回の入札参加資格を得たのは約30社。日本からは新日本石油、石油資源開発、国際石油開発帝石、三菱商事の4社が参加資格を得ていた。
　イラクの2008年の原油生産量は日量約240万バレルで、03年のイラク戦争開戦前の水準にほぼ回復した。政府は同600万バレルへの増産目標を掲げており、資金や技術を短期に調達できる外資導入に踏み切った。

イラク　財政基盤強化に期待　利権巡り
　イラク戦争後初となる油田の国際入札で、イラク政府は外資導入がもたらす原油収入が、自立に向けた財政基盤の強化につながると期待をかけた。28日には米戦闘部隊がイラク都市部からの撤収を終えており、イラクの「戦後」は新たな段階に踏み出す。ただ、資金確保に強気の姿勢をみせるイラク政府と、リスクを見込んだ高値を提示する企業側で折り合わず、イラクの思惑は出だしから難航の様相をみせている。
　マリキ首相は入札の冒頭、「イラクの再建には今回の契約が必要。利益はイラク国民と落札会社のものになる」と述べ、外資の本格導入成功に強い期待感を示した。
　一方でイラク国内での原油収入の配分などを定めた基本法が未整備であることなど懸念材料は多く、企業側は慎重姿勢を崩さなかったようだ。原油の主権をめぐり中央政府と対立してきたクルド自治政府のバルザニ首相は「北部油田などの入札を自治政府は承認していない」と批判。イラク連邦議会の一部も、議会承認を経ずに外資導入を進めようとする政府の姿勢に反発している。

第一次開放対象は北部の主要油田キルクークや南部の大油田ズベイル、ルメイラなど油田６カ所と、西部のアッカスなど天然ガス田２カ所。
http://www.knak.jp/blog/2009-4-1.htm#iraq

June 30, 2009

BP, China win right to develop Iraq's Rumalia oil field

BP PLC and China National Petroleum Corp. won the right to develop Rumaila, the largest Iraqi oil field in today's licensing round, as the war-torn country seeks to more than double production over the next six years.

The BP-led group beat a bid from Exxon Mobil Corp. and Malaysia's state oil company, an Oil Ministry spokesman in Baghdad said. Six oil and two gas fields in today's bidding round may yield US$1.7-trillion in profit over 20 years for the country, Oil Minister Hussain al-Shahristani said in a speech broadcast on live television.

"This is the only resource of wealth available to us at this time," Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki said in a speech at the start of the licensing round in Baghdad today, where foreign oil companies are bidding for service contracts.

Eight of the world's top 10 non-state oil producers, including Royal Dutch Shell Plc and ConocoPhillips, are vying for the right to help Iraq develop the country's oil and gas resources. More than 30 companies are bidding for US$16-billion worth of technical service contracts for the fields.

Iraq is inviting international oil companies back into the country after kicking them out in 1972, when the party of late dictator Saddam Hussein nationalized concessions. The license round was set to start yesterday and delayed one day after sandstorms closed Baghdad's airport, preventing oil executives from reaching the capital with their bids.

‘Revenue is Enormous'

"It's a great move forward for Iraq and the revenue is enormous," Peter McGuire, managing director of Commodity Warrants Australia, said in a Bloomberg TV interview on Monday. "So it's a massive amount of money for Iraq, huge."

Holder of the world's third-largest oil reserves, Iraq is struggling to raise output and revenue from crude sales after six years of conflict and prior sanctions destroyed the economy and infrastructure. The government aims to boost oil output to 4 million barrels a day within the next five years, from about 2.4 million barrels.

U.S. combat troops, under agreement with the Iraqi government, left the country's cities today in a step toward a planned full withdrawal by the end of 2011.

Shahristani defended the oil round in parliament last week after Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's government was criticized by lawmakers for failure to raise oil production faster and because of concerns the deals won't benefit Iraq. The government will support the winning bidders in developing the fields, al-Maliki said today.

BP Wins Rumaila
The BP-led group beat a bid from Exxon and Petronas Carigali Sdn. Bhd. for Rumaila after improving their offer, the ministry spokesman said. The Iraqi government set a requirement that bidders agree to produce crude from the field at a cost of US$2 a barrel, lower than the price BP and Exxon initially bid.

Rumaila, which now produces 956,000 barrels of oil a day, is the largest field on offer and the first awarded today. The BP group proposed to boost Rumaila's output to a plateau of 2.85 million barrels of oil a day at an average cost of US$3.99 a barrel, according to the bid presentation.

The Oil Ministry had given the BP and Exxon groups time to improve their offer to develop the Rumaila field after neither offer met the government's minimum requirements.

BP spokesman Toby Odone in London said the company is "looking forward to the next step toward finalizing the service contract." The Iraqi Cabinet will approve the winning bids within a week, al-Shahristani said.

Mansuriya, Bai Hassan
Iraq received no bids for the Mansuriya natural gas field, the second it offered.

ConocoPhillips was the only bidder for the Bai Hassan oil field. A group led by Italy's Eni SpA dropped its bid to develop the Zubair oil field in southern Iraq after it rejected to lower the proposed cost. A group led by China National Petroleum also dropped its bid for Zubair.

Shell bid to develop the Kirkuk oil field, together with China Petroleum & Chemical Corp. and Turkish Petroleum Corp., Shell spokesman Adam Newton said by telephone today.

The fields set to be awarded collectively produce a total of about 2 million barrels of oil a day, al-Shahristani said at the start of the licensing round.

Iraq later this year plans to hold a second auction round for 11 oil and gas fields with the aim to boost production to about 6 million barrels a day by 2015. Saudi Arabia, the world's biggest oil exporter, produces 8 million barrels a day.

---

Platts)--30Jun2009

ExxonMobil submits bid for Iraq's Rumaila oilfield with Petronas

US supermajor ExxonMobil submitted a joint bid with Malaysia's Petronas to develop the 966,000 b/d Rumaila oilfield, also being contested by a consortium of BP and China's CNPC.
Qualified companies are bidding along two parameters -- the production increase above plateau production in barrels per day and the remuneration fee.
The ExxonMobil-led consortium bid is for plateau production of 3.1 million b/d and a fee of $4.8/barrel. ExxonMobil will hold an 80.1% interest in the joint venture and Petronas 19.9%.
BP (66%) and CNPC (33%) bid is for plateau production of 2.85 million b/d and a remuneration fee of $3.99/barrel.
Iraq is offering a total of six producing oil fields and two gas fields for development under 20-year service contracts.
The signature bonus to be paid for the Rumaila contract, which encompasses the Rumaila North and the Rumaila South structures, is $500 million. The Iraqi oil ministry has defined the bonus as a soft loan to be repaid with interest over a five-year period two years from the contract coming into effect. The winning joint venture will incur a minimum expenditure obligation of $300 million for Rumaila.
The signature bonuses are to be paid within 30 days of the contract being signed, said Natiq al-Bayati, director general of the Petroleum Contracts and Licensing Directorate at the bidding ceremony shown live on Iraq's Iraqiya satellite television channel.

-----------

Jun 30, 2009　Reuters

Iraq receives one bid for Kirkuk oilfield

Iraq's Oil Ministry said on Tuesday it had received just one bid from global energy firms for the Kirkuk oilfield, which lies in a region contested by minority Kurds and the Arab-led government in Baghdad.

The one bidding consortium was led by Royal Dutch Shell , with China's Sinopec and the Turkish Petroleum Corp, said Oil Minister Hussain al-Shahristani.