BP, PetroChina spin out Iraq’s Rumaila field into new company

Bloomberg

BP Plc and PetroChina Co formed a joint venture to manage the giant Rumaila field in Iraq, an operating structure the British oil major has adopted in other parts of the world as it focuses on the energy transition.
BP is at the beginning of transformation to slash emissions and hydrocarbon output, while ramping clean-energy production. That strategy sits uncomfortably with its presence in Iraq, one of the world’s biggest emitters of methane — a greenhouse gas more potent than carbon dioxide.
The new Basra Energy Co Ltd will run Rumaila with Iraq’s state-owned Basra Oil Co and, as a standalone company, it will have access to external financing, BP said in a statement. While the formation of the venture won’t change the amount of greenhouse gases emitted, it will free up capital as BP seeks to increase spending on low-carbon projects.
In 2016, BP formed Aker BP ASA by joining its Norwegian assets with Det Norske Oljeselskap. More recently, BP and Italy’s Eni SpA said they were considering merging their Angolan oil, gas and liquefied natural gas assets in a bid to revive output.
Iraq’s cabinet approved the restructuring and said Basra Energy will be responsible for financing and developing the field, Oil Minister Ihsan Abdul Jabbar said in a separate statement. The Iraqi venture is subject to other approvals.
BP won the right to develop Rumaila in 2010, and the new joint venture is expected to operate until the contract is due to expire in 2034.