Najaf enters the oil era… reserves worth billions of barrels and extraction phases are nearing completion.
Najaf enters the oil era… reserves worth billions of barrels and extraction phases are nearing completion.
2026-05-07
Shafaq News – Najaf
The head of the Najaf Provincial Council, Hussein Al-Issawi, announced on Thursday that significant progress had been made in the project to develop the Al-Qarnain oil field.
Al-Issawi told Shafaq News Agency that “the seismic team affiliated with the Ministry of Oil has begun its work after joint efforts between the local government and the Ministry of Oil, while the Chinese company continues exploration procedures in preparation for the extraction phase,” noting that “initial expectations indicate that the reserves of the Najaf wells will reach about 10 billion barrels of oil.”
He added that “work is also underway in the Middle Euphrates region, where joint seismic surveys will be launched between the governorates of Najaf, Diwaniyah, Karbala and Babylon, which will contribute to supporting the national and local economy and providing ample job opportunities for the people of the governorate.”
Al-Issawi explained that “the Al-Qarnayn oil field is expected to witness the start of extraction operations in less than a year, which will constitute an important economic transformation for Najaf.”
The Chinese company “Zhenhua”, through the Al-Qarnain Petroleum Company (QPC) and in coordination with the Middle Oil Company, operates the Al-Qarnain oil block, which was awarded as part of the oil licensing rounds, where the exploration and development contract was signed on October 17, 2024, and the contract was activated on November 18 of the same year, before the operation was transferred to QPC in May 2025.
For its part, the Ministry of Oil announced that the Deputy Prime Minister for Energy Affairs and Minister of Oil, Engineer Hayyan Abdul-Ghani Al-Sawad, received a delegation from the Chinese company “Zhenhua”, during which they discussed the stages of developing the Al-Qarnain exploration block and the East Baghdad South field, confirming the achievement of a new oil discovery in the block within the fifth supplementary and sixth licensing rounds.
The minister explained the importance of accelerating the implementation of oil projects to ensure the sustainability of crude oil production and the investment in associated gas, while the company reviewed the work stages and plans to increase production and rapid investment in the area.
The Al-Qarnayn area, located in southwestern Iraq within the borders of Najaf Governorate, along the Iraqi-Saudi border, is one of the most promising exploration areas, with an area of approximately 8773 km².
According to official data, drilling of the second exploratory well “Shams-11” began on January 10, 2026, and the results on February 24, 2026, revealed a potential hydrocarbon discovery estimated at about 8.8 billion barrels within the (MUS) formation and at a depth ranging between 1916 and 1965 meters, with a daily production rate of 3248 barrels of light oil.
The oil exploration company also completed the two-dimensional seismic survey work for an area of 2850 km² in a record time that ended on March 15, 2026.
shafaq.com
