A new hydrocarbon discovery has been made at the Qurnain exploration block in southwest Iraq, marking the first oil find at any block awarded under the fifth supplementary and sixth licensing rounds.
The discovery was confirmed following the drilling of exploratory well Shams-11, which began on 10th January 2026. A potential hydrocarbon accumulation of 8.835 billion cubic feet was identified on 24th February 2026 in the MUS formation at a depth of 1,916-1,965 metres, with a daily production rate of 3,248 barrels of light crude oil.
The Qurnain block covers an area of 8,773 km² in Najaf province, adjacent to the Iraqi-Saudi border. Key milestones in its development include:
- An exploration, development, and production contract signed on 17th October 2024 between Midland Oil Company (MdOC) and North Petroleum International (NPI), a wholly owned subsidiary of Zhenhua Oil (EBS Petroleum)
- Contract activation on 18th November 2024
- Transfer of operatorship from North Petroleum International Limited to Qurnain Petroleum Limited with effect from 17th May 2025
- Commencement of 2D seismic survey on 10th October 2025, covering 2,850 km, completed on 15th March 2026
The meeting, attended by Mohammed Yassin, Director General of Midland Oil Company, also covered progress on production increases by EBS Petroleum at the East Baghdad Oil Field. Oil Minister Hayan Abdul-Ghani al-Sawad called for acceleration of work phases to sustain crude oil production and maximise gas utilisation.
