Russia's Litasco to Financially Help Iraq's Nassiriya Oilfield Double Output

The deal which was approved by the cabinet on Tuesday includes building a 100,000 bpd oil production facility and a 42 km oil pipeline.

BASRA, Iraq (Reuters) — Russia’s Litasco, an oil trading arm of Lukoil, will finance Iraq's Nassiriya oil project to double production capacity to 200,000 barrels per day (bpd), Iraq's state-run Dhiqar Oil Co said in a statement on Wednesday.

The deal which was approved by the cabinet on Tuesday includes building a 100,000 bpd oil production facility and a 42 km oil pipeline by a joint venture between State Company for Oil Projects (SCOP), an oil ministry arm overseeing the project, and Italy's Progetti Europa & Global.

The project will take 28 months, according to the statement.

The statement said Iraq's state-oil marketing company, SOMO, will pay back Litasco with crude oil shipments.