Norway 's Statoil (STL.OS) is intending to sell its stake in Iraq 's supergiant West Qurna phase 2 oil field in southern Iraq to Russia 's Lukoil (LUKOY), a senior Iraqi oil ministry official told Dow Jones Newswires by phone from Baghdad Thursday.

Statoil and Lukoil were awarded a 20-year service contract for West Qurna Phase 2 in Iraq 's second licensing round held in December 2009. The companies promised to get the southern field pumping at a rate of 1.8 million barrels a day for payment of $1.15 a barrel.

The official said the ministry wouldn't reject a request from Statoil to sell its stake to Lukoil. "Lukoil is a qualified company through the oil ministry and it is the operator of West Qurna Phase 2."

He said, however, the ministry hasn't yet received a formal letter from Statoil to sell its stake to Lukoil. "The company could have asked the (Iraqi oil) minister verbally to allow it to sell its stake."

Διαβάστε ακόμα