Al-Omar field
| Al-Omar field | |
|---|---|
  Location of Al-Omar field within Syria | |
| Country | Syria |
| Region | Northeastern Syria |
| Location | Deir ez-Zor Governorate |
| Coordinates | 35°9′6″N 40°34′33″E / 35.15167°N 40.57583°E |
| Field history | |
| Start of development | 1987 |
| Production | |
| Peak of production (oil) | 80,000 barrels per day (~5.0×106 t/a) |
| Estimated oil in place | 760 million barrels (~1.3×108 t) |
Al-Omar field (Arabic: حقل العمر النفطي) is an oilfield in Deir ez-Zor Governorate, Syria. It is located 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) north of Mayadin, east of the Euphrates river.
History
Al-Omar oil field, discovered in 1987, was operated by Al-Furat Petroleum Company (AFPC), subsidiary of the Syrian Petroleum Company. It initially peaked at a production of around 80,000 barrels per day (b/d). However, due to a lack of pressure support and overproduction in the early 1990s, the field was damaged, leading to a sharp decline in output to 16,000 b/d by 1991. Water injection techniques were implemented from 1991 onwards, stabilizing production at a plateau of 60,000–70,000 b/d between 1994 and 1997. By 2008, however, production had declined again to around 20,000 b/d.[1] In the meantime, the STOIIP was estimated at 760 million barrels.[2]
During the Syrian civil war, the field changed hands multiple times. It fell under the control of the al-Nusra Front and other Islamist rebels in November 2013,[3][4] then ISIS in July 2014 from Al-Shaitat clan, and ultimately the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) with support from the US-led Coalition in late October 2017 during the Eastern Syria campaign.[5] Since then, the region has been targeted by pro-Iranian militias, opposing the U.S. presence in the area.[6]
References
- ^ Almohamad, Hussein; Dittmann, Andreas (2016). "Oil in Syria between Terrorism and Dictatorship". Social Sciences. 5 (2): 20. doi:10.3390/socsci5020020.
- ^ Jurg Neidhardt; et al. (2008). "The Omar Field (NE Syria) is Overcoming Its Mid-Life Crisis". SPE North Africa Technical Conference & Exhibition. doi:10.2118/112940-MS.
- ^ "Islamist rebels capture Syria's largest oilfield: activists". Reuters. 23 November 2013. Archived from the original on 15 November 2015. Retrieved 30 June 2017.
- ^ Urquhart, Conal (23 November 2013). "Syrian Islamist rebels claim capture of key oilfield". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 23 November 2013. Retrieved 23 November 2013.
- ^ Francis, Ellen (22 October 2017). "U.S.-backed militias seize key oil field in east Syria - SDF". Reuters.
- ^ "The US and al-Omar oil field: Military base or oil greed". enabbaladi.net. 23 September 2022.