Oil Minister Basim Mohammed Khdeir Al-Abbadi affirmed on Thursday the necessity of increasing and sustaining crude oil production from Kirkuk's four fields, alongside enhancing gas production and investment to meet the country's needs. This came during his inauguration of the
fourth joint management meeting for the Kirkuk fields development project, which includes Bai Hassan, Jambour, Khabaz, and Kirkuk's Afana and Baba domes. These fields are being developed by the British company BP. During the meeting, the Minister emphasized the importance of
raising production levels and maintaining their continuity, in addition to increasing gas investment. He also stressed the necessity of providing services to the residents of areas surrounding the fields in Kirkuk Governorate through the project's social benefits. He pointed to
the importance of employing the local workforce in the governorate and prioritizing it within the joint management committee, alongside adhering to safety, health, and environmental standards, and working towards a "zero" accident rate. Al-Abbadi highlighted the need to focus on
providing qualitative, rather than superficial, training for national cadres to develop local workers' capabilities, improve their performance, and keep pace with modern technology by introducing the latest techniques in the development operations of the four fields.
