By IANS
Seoul : South Korean energy developers said here Thursday they were securing development rights to four oil fields in northern Iraq that may hold enough crude to supply the country for up to two years, WAM news agency reported.
The deal, to be signed between a consortium led by state-run Korea National Oil Corporation (KNOC) and visiting officials from Iraq’s autonomous region of Kurdistan, could allow local energy companies to gain access to up to 2 billion barrels of untapped crude oil.
“Details of how oil will be divided between South Korean companies and the local government will be decided at a later date,” a KNOC official said.
The state-run oil company also said it plans to set up an office in Iraq to start development of the Bazian oil field in northern Iraq that is estimated to hold around 500 million barrels of crude. The KNOC has already signed a contract for development of the field.
South Korean companies are concentrating on northern Iraq because US and western oil companies are expected to win most of the rights to new oil fields in the central and southern parts of Iraq.