Iraq

bp has a long history of oil exploration and production in Iraq. This history stretches back ‎to the 1920s when the company that would eventually come to be known as bp helped ‎Iraq locate, produce and export oil from Baba Gurgur, Kirkuk. This was the largest oilfield ‎in the world at that time. The collaboration in Iraq continued up to the early 1970s, with ‎the Zubair field discovered in 1948 and the super-giant oilfield, Rumaila, in 1953.‎

Rumaila: Reviving one of the world’s super-giant oilfields

Rumaila is Iraq’s largest producing oilfield (producing around a third of Iraq’s oil) spanning 1,600km2, located approximately 50km west of Basra in southern Iraq. During years of conflict, its production capability was hampered due to base decline, old and neglected facilities, and under investment.

 

In 2009, bp - together with its contractor partners PetroChina and SOMO (Iraq's state-owned oil marketing company) - signed a technical services contract (TSC) with Iraq's state-owned South Oil Company (later renamed Basra Oil Company). Under the terms of the TSC, the Rumaila Operating Organization (ROO) was formed as the operator of the field, with a remit to transform and modernise the 70-year-old Rumaila oilfield.  In 2022, PetroChina transferred their interests in the TSC to a newly formed company, Basra Energy Company Limited (BECL), a company owned wholly by PetroChina and bp.  As shareholders, bp and PetroChina provide technical advice and support to BECL, aimed at delivering further improvements at Rumaila.

Transforming Rumaila

With bp’s and BECL’s guidance, the operation has made substantial progress under ROO’s stewardship: Rumaila produced over 1.4 mmbd in 2024, with investments by BECL of nearly $3bn. 

Since ROO became operator in 2010:

• 33% increase in annual oil production 

• 7 billion+ barrels produced.  

• Nearly 1,000,000 safety training hours delivered. 

• Modernisation and transformation of facilities, infrastructure, processes and systems. 

 

bp, and now BECL, has worked in a partnership with the ROO to help deliver significant improvements at Rumaila including:

• Emissions reduction. 

• Integrity of aging infrastructure. 

• Operational safety and safety culture. 
• Clearing of historic contamination and unexploded munitions.  

Adding value to Iraq 

Developing local capability: 

• Workforce of approximately 8,200, of which 93% are Iraqi. 
• 3.4+ million hours of training delivered since 2010.  
• On-the-job Rumaila Academy built by ROO.  
• Engineering and Leadership Training Academy opened in 2024.  
• Rumaila Education Fund supports Iraqi oil sector with studying and training. $37m invested since 2010.  

 

Supporting in-country value: 

• $9billion of contracts awarded to Iraqi companies in wide supply chain. 
• 43% of all contracts won by Iraqi companies in 2024, with a value of $1bn.

Supporting local communities

The Social Welfare Fund (SWF)

Since 2014, the Social Welfare Fund (SWF) has been delivered by the Rumaila Operating Organisation (ROO) to benefit the lives of thousands of Iraqis. To date, the SWF has delivered more than 30 projects supporting Rumaila’s closest neighbors. It now invests up to $10 million annually. To date, around  $30 million invested. 

Some of the social investment initiatives include:

• Primary health care clinics in Qarmat Ali and North Rumaila mobile health clinic reach 17,000 residents.
• Schools upgraded and refurbished.
• 50km of roads build and improved.
• Infrastructure for clean water to over 7,000 households in community villages. 

 

Rumaila Education Fund (REF)

As part of the TSC, BECL contributes to the Rumaila Education Fund, a training, technology, and scholarship programme, which invests up to $5 million annually. The REF aims to supporting the development of the wider oil and gas sector in the Basra region and Iraq. One of the keyways to deliver on this commitment is by giving young Iraqis learning opportunities at some of the best universities in the world. It also directly supports industry sector development in Basra. To date, around $37 million has been invested in the Iraqi oil sector by the REF. In 2024, the REF spent almost $2 million to enable 33 students to study at universities across the UK.

Kirkuk: Back to where we began

bp was a member of the consortium of oil companies that discovered oil in Kirkuk in the 1920s. In March 2025, bp received final government ratification for its contract to invest in the redevelopment of several giant oil fields in Kirkuk, in the north of Iraq.

 

The contract between North Oil Company (NOC), North Gas Company (NGC) and bp includes the rehabilitation and redevelopment of the fields alongside investment in existing gas processing facilities, spanning oil, gas, power and water with potential for investment in exploration.

 

The initial phase will include oil and gas production of more than 3 billion barrels of oil equivalent. It includes the Baba and Avanah domes of the Kirkuk oil field and three adjacent fields in Federal Iraq – Bai Hassan, Jambur and Khabbaz – all of which are currently operated by the NOC. The wider resource opportunity across the contract and surrounding area is believed to include up to 20 billion barrels of oil equivalent.

 

Similar to Rumaila, bp will not own or operate the Kirkuk fields. We want to utilise our wide-ranging global expertise, building on the recent history at Rumaila to grow a similar, modern upstream oil and gas industry centred around Kirkuk.  

 

Work started on initial preparations, with teams interacting with NOC and NGC, conducting numerous site visits and early deployment roles identified. bp will work under the guidance of the Government to set up a new operator – an unincorporated organization comprising predominantly personnel from NOC and NGC, but also with secondees from bp – to prepare for the initial stages of development.

 

The Development and Production Contract for Kirkuk has now come into effect, marking a major milestone for the project. With bp’s camp in Kirkuk now open, the partnership has established a continuous presence focused on rehabilitating facilities, increasing production, and supporting the local community, paving the way for future growth in the region.

Air bp in Iraq  

We’re fuel specialists, engineers, technicians, operational specialists, risk managers, and sustainable fuel experts. But we’re also one of the world’s largest aviation suppliers. We’ve been innovating and shaping the aviation industry for more than 90 years.

 

In Iraq, we're proud to be supplying fuel in Baghdad and Erbil airports through our NOJVs:

• MASIL: NOJV incorporated in December 2019 providing aviation refuelling services at Baghdad International Airport.     
• MMAFCO: NOJV incorporated in Erbil in 2014. Activity includes Aviation Fuel Stock management and refuelling services at Erbil International Airport.

bp history in Iraq

1920s: bp helps locate, produce and export oil from Kirkuk oilfield.

1948: Zubair oilfield discovered.

1953: Rumaila oilfield discovered.

2009: Rumaila TSC signed (along with PetroChina, BOC and SOMO).

2013: Government asks bp to assist the North Oil Company with improving performance at the Kirkuk oilfield.

2020: bp submits technical study of Kirkuk’s development to the Government.

2022: bp and Petrochina transfer their interests in the Rumaila TSC to Basra Energy Company Limited, a company wholly owned by PetroChina and bp

2025: bp receives final government ratification for its contract to invest in the redevelopment of several giant oil fields in Kirkuk.