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Iraq signs deals for 13 oil and gas blocks following its latest licensing rounds

Iraq’s Oil Ministry has signed initial deals for 13 oil and gas exploration blocks and fields, which could increase the country’s output by 750 kb/d of crude oil and 850 mcf/d (8.8 bcm/year) of natural gas. The agreements were signed with the winning companies within Iraq’s fifth and sixth supplementary licensing rounds. These deals represent the follow-up of the bidding round held in May 2024, in which Chinese companies dominated.

Rystad: OPEC’s Oil Reserves are Much Lower Than Officially Reported

Rystad: global recoverable oil reserves held largely steady at around 1,500 billion barrels.
The largest downward revisions are seen in Saudi Arabia, where development priorities have shifted from offshore capacity expansions to onshore infill drilling.
Rystad puts OPEC oil reserves well below its officially reported oil reserves of 1,125 billion barrels.

Middle East Oil Benefits As China Buys Less African Crude

SCMP: Angola was the No. 2 exporter of oil to China in 2010, second only to Saudi Arabia, by last year, it had plummeted to No. 8.
Angola–and other African oil producers–have a hard time luring investors to further develop its oilfields and boost infrastructure.
China is pivoting heavily to the GCC, aggressively seeking energy tie-ups with Saudi Arabia, UAE, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, and Qatar.