Norwegian oil and gas company DNO announced it is expanding operations in the Kurdistan Region. The company will resume drilling at its flagship Tawke license in Duhok province next week.
This resumption follows a two-and-a-half-year spending pause. DNO plans to drill a new production well in the shallow Jeribe reservoir in the Tawke field. “Drilling will restart next week at the Tawke license, marking a major step in boosting our oil output,” the company said.
Moreover, the Kurdistan Region restarted oil exports in late September under a tripartite agreement between Erbil, Baghdad, and international oil companies. Exports had stopped in March 2023 after Iraq won a Paris-based arbitration case against Turkey.
DNO has mobilized two rigs, the DQE-51 and the company-owned Sindy, to drill eight wells through 2026. The company targets a 25 percent increase in gross operated production, aiming for 100,000 barrels of oil per day. The Tawke license covers the Tawke and Peshkabir fields, two of the region’s largest.
Currently, DNO produces 80,000 barrels daily. Executive Chairman Bijan Mossavar-Rahmani said, “With two decades of experience in these complex reservoirs, we are confident we can extract much more oil from these fields.”
In addition, Iraqi Oil Minister Hayyan Abdul Ghani told Rudaw that more than 13 million barrels have already left Kurdistan via Turkey’s Ceyhan port. Daily exports range between 200,000 and 208,000 barrels.
“All of the Kurdistan Region’s oil goes to European and American markets,” the minister added.
DNO’s drilling restart at the Tawke license signals a strong recovery for Kurdistan’s oil sector. The company’s work will help meet the Region’s export goals and strengthen its presence in global markets. By combining resumed drilling, new wells, and strategic exports, DNO highlights its key role in developing the Kurdistan oil industry.
