The Iraqi oil ministry will finalize by the end of this month seven deals for oil fields won in Iraq's second round of bidding held in December as all winning companies have agreed to new amendments, a senior oil ministry official said Sunday.
Lukoil Holdings (LUKOY), China National Petroleum Corp. and Gazprom (GAZP.RS) led consortiums were the latest foreign companies to agree to new changes made by the Iraqi oil ministry to these deals, Abdul Mahdy al-Ameedi, head of the oil ministry's Petroleum Contracts and Licensing Directorate told Dow Jones Newswires by telephone from Baghdad.
Talks to try to clinch the remaining two deals for oil fields won in the first bid round held in June--an Eni-led consortium to develop Zubair field and an ExxonMobil-led group to upgrade West Qurna Phase 1--will take place Sunday and Monday respectively, he said.
Earlier this month, the Iraqi cabinet ratified four oil field deals, including the supergiant Majnoon oil field. It had also given its previous approvals for the remaining deals provided that companies accept the new changes.