Production at Qatar's North Dome peaks over 100,000 bpd

July 12, 1997 Crude oil production from Qatar's offshore Idd el Shargi North Dome (ISND) field reached a record average of 96,300 bpd in June, peaking at 100,000 bpd over a 7-day period, a senior official at the Qatar General Petroleum Corporation (QGPC) said. The oil concession is being operated by Occidental Petroleum Qatar, under a development and production-sharing agreement signed with state-owned QGPC in July 1994.
According to the QGPC official, during each of the seven days in June, output from the ISND field exceeded 100,000 barrels. A record level of over 104,000 barrels was achieved on one of the days. The offshore Al Shaheen oil field (block 5) recently reported its production had reached 100,000 bpd. The combined Al Shaheen and ISND output is the second-highest yield after Dukhan onshore production. The QGPC official said Occidental's output from ISND had proved to be a revelation since it was only averaging 20,000 bpd in June 1994. "Our handing over the ISND field to the us oil company has worked wonders for us, as output has now reached a record level," he said. Under the development plan submitted by Occidental, production is expected to reach 150,000 bpd by the turn of the century. The QGPC official pointed out that output from the ISND concession had been increasing steadily. Last year, it stood at a sustainable level of 74,000 bpd.
ISND, along with Maydan Mazham and Bul Hanine, were the first offshore oil fields discovered in Qatar. Until 1976, ISND was operated by Shell Qatar, but in February 1977, it reverted to QGPC. The QGPC official said occidental's efforts would contribute substantially to Qatar's target of achieving an output of 700,000 bpd by the year 2000.