据路透社8月9日报道，参与谈判的5名伊拉克高级石油官员表示，AQ即将与英国石油(BP)和埃尼(Eni)就一项出口管道项目达成协议。该项目最初计划是作为与美国能源巨头埃克森美孚(ExxonMobil)一笔巨额交易的一部分。
据报道，根据拟议的4亿美元协议，BP和意大利埃尼集团将负责建设两条海底石油管道，供伊拉克南部出口石油穿过墨西哥湾。消息人士拒绝透露姓名，因为相关讨论尚未公开。
这些官员表示，管道工程原本是规模更大的530亿美元项目的一部分，埃克森美孚似乎准备在今年早些时候推进该项目，但由于合同纠纷和安全担忧问题，与巴格达方面的协议受阻。这个为期30年的大型项目是埃克森美孚在伊拉克扩张计划的重点。伊拉克是欧佩克第二大产油国。
BP和埃尼集团与巴格达方面进行谈判之前，伊拉克官员曾在6月份宣布，已选定韩国现代工程建设有限公司(Hyundai Engineering & Construction Co Ltd)建设一座24亿美元的海水注入设施——这是最初与埃克森美孚(Exxon)谈判的另一部分内容。
埃克森美孚和埃尼拒绝置评，而BP也没有立即置评。今年5月，伊拉克与埃克森美孚拟议的巨额交易似乎迫在眉睫。
为达成至少一项初步协议而举行的谈判，因埃克森美孚的两名外籍员工分别从伊拉克撤离而受阻。第一次是在华盛顿方面警告称，伊朗对美国在伊拉克的利益构成威胁之后，第二次则似乎是该公司火箭袭击之后引发的。这5名伊拉克高级石油官员表示，这些拖延迫使伊拉克考虑其它公司来帮助建设其海上出口终端的基础设施。一名负责监督该国南部出口基础设施的官员表示：“我们不能永远等着埃克森美孚。我们的海上管道存在严重问题，迫切需要找到合作伙伴帮助建设新的管道，进一步拖延可能会损害我们的海上出口基础设施。”
伊拉克正在与BP和埃尼集团讨论的项目涉及更换两条旧的海底管道，其中一条闲置的管道将原油运往霍尔阿马亚(Khor al-Amaya)终端。石油官员表示，自从2017年输油管道发生破裂和泄漏不得不关闭以来，Khor al-Amaya的装载作业已经停止。另一条管道只运行了一部分，其将原油运往巴士拉海上终端。
消息人士称，根据拟议，BP将为该项目提供资金，埃尼集团将负责采购、工程和建筑招标方面的事宜。谈判已进入最后阶段，各方制定了一套机制，允许这家英国公司收回融资款项。
一名伊拉克官员表示:“原则上，我们同意，BP可以通过石油运输而不是现金来收回付款，就像我们向该公司支付鲁迈拉油田开发费用的机制一样。”这些官员称，埃尼集团的工作将以现金支付。
韩国现代工程建设有限公司已被选中参与海水注入项目，该项目最初也是埃克森美孚开发伊拉克南部能源设施计划的一部分。
伊拉克没有主要的注水厂，需要一座来打油井，否则将面临产量严重下降的风险，尤其是对其成熟的油田。其中一名官员表示，由于淡水在伊拉克是一种稀缺资源，使用经过处理的海水的相关协议将在年底前敲定。
王佳晶 摘译自 路透社
原文如下：
Iraq close to pipeline deal with oil majors BP and Eni
aq is close to reaching a deal with oil majors BP and Eni for an export pipeline project that was initially planned as part of a mega-deal with US energy giant ExxonMobil, according to five senior Iraqi oil officials involved in the negotiations.
Under the proposed $400mn agreement, British company BP and Italy’s Eni would run the scheme to build two seabed oil pipelines for Iraq’s southern exports through the Gulf, the sources told Reuters, declining to be named as the discussions have not been made public.
The pipeline work was meant to be part of a larger, $53bn project that Exxon looked poised to move ahead with earlier this year, but an agreement with Baghdad was held back by contractual wrangling and security concerns, the officials said.
The 30-year mega-project is the focus of Exxon’s plans to expand in Iraq, Opec’s second-largest producer, and a chipping away of schemes from the deal could drag on the company’s ambitions.
The BP and Eni talks with Baghdad follow an announcement from Iraqi officials in June that South Korea’s Hyundai Engineering & Construction Co Ltd had been selected to build a $2.4bn seawater injection facility – another part of the deal originally on the table with Exxon.
ExxonMobil and Eni declined to comment, while BP had no immediate comment.
In May, Iraq’s proposed bumper deal with Exxon appeared imminent.
But negotiations subsequently became protracted over contract conditions and escalating tensions between Iraq’s bigger neighbour Iran and the United States, Baghdad’s two main allies.
Talks to reach at least an initial agreement were held up by two separate evacuations of Exxon’s foreign staff from Iraq, the first after Washington warned of Iranian threats to US interests there, and the second prompted by a rocket attack that appeared to target the company.
The five senior Iraqi oil officials said the delays had forced Iraq to consider other companies to help construct infrastructure for its offshore export terminals.
“We can’t wait for Exxon forever. We have serious problems with our sea pipelines and urgently need to find partners to help build new ones.
Further delays could harm our sea export infrastructure,” said one of the officials, who oversees export infrastructure in the south of the country.
The project that Iraq is discussing with BP and Eni involves the replacement of two old seabed pipelines, including an idled one which transports crude to the Khor al-Amaya terminal.
Loading operations have been halted at Khor al-Amaya since 2017 when the pipeline suffered ruptures and leakages and had to be shut, oil officials said.
The other pipeline is operating at partial capacity to ship crude oil to the Basra offshore terminal.
Under the proposed deal, BP would finance the project and Eni would handle the procurement, engineering and construction tendering aspects, the sources said.
The negotiations are in their final stages after the parties worked out a mechanism to allow the British company to recover its financing payments.
“In principle we agreed BP could recover its payments by taking oil shipments instead of cash, just like the mechanism we’re following to pay the company to develop Rumaila oilfields,” said one of the Iraqi officials.
Eni will be paid in cash for its work, the officials said.
The seawater injection project, which Hyundai has been selected for, was also originally part of Exxon’s planned deal to develop Iraq’s southern energy installations.
Iraq has no major water injection plant and needs one for its wells or would risk losing pressure and face severe production decline, especially at its mature oilfields.
As freshwater is a scarce resource in Iraq, using treated seawater is one of he officials said the agreement would be finalised before the end of year.
