It was in 2004 that DNO signed a Production Sharing Contract (PSC) with the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG). Two years after signing this initial PSC, the first oil discovery was made at the Tawke field, and a subsequent fast track development made test production of oil possible by 2007. By 2009 the field had been connected to the existing northern pipeline system through Iraq, setting the stage for international export that began in 2011.
Today, the Tawke facilities have the sustainable capacity to export more than 70,000 barrels a day, with a company strategy is to bring proven sustainable production capacity to a level of 100,000 bopd in 2012 – and then increasing that capacity to 200,000 bopd in the future.
In June 2011, a revised, independent estimate more than doubled the reserves at Tawke, this estimate truly confirmed that Tawke is a world-class giant oil field.
The geological conditions can be challenging, but DNO and other oil companies have found world-class assets in the region. DNO has interests in two other licenses and has planned an ambitious work program in 2012. Activities include the successful increase in production from the Tawke field, the drilling of exploration wells in Dohuk and Tawke PSC agreement areas, and the filing of a Declaration of Commerciality for the Benenan and Bastora discoveries.