OREANDA-NEWS.  The Badra oilfield, Iraq, under development by operator Gazprom Neft, has witnessed the production of the millionth tonne of oil. Thanks to the application of cutting-edge production and transportation technologies, this result has been achieved within a year of the field being brought into commercial production, initiated at the end of August 2014.

The Badra field currently has five wells in operation, with total daily production of 4,755 tonnes. The Badra field has seen a two-fold increase in oil production since the beginning of the year.

Development of the field is ongoing: well drilling is now complete, and work on the installation and fitting of technical equipment on the sixth well (P-13) has begun, with anticipated production of 1,400 tonnes (or 10,000 barrels) per day. Installation of a drilling rig is being undertaken at well P-12, and drilling ongoing at two further wells, P-09 and P-15B, under a contract previously concluded with China’s ZPEC. In addition to the three rigs currently involved in developing the field, a fourth is expected to be deployed in late 2015.

The Badra oilfield is located in the Wasit Province, Eastern Iraq. Preliminary estimates indicate total oil in place at the Badra field to be in the order of three billion barrels. Development of the field is expected to take 20 years, and may be extended by a further five. Commercial production at the field commenced in 2014.