Gulf Keystone Petroleum Ltd. reiterated its production forecast for its main oil field in the Kurdistan region of Iraq and expressed optimism about the resumption of export payments from local authorities. “We are confident that our host government will be able to deliver on their recent pledge to establish a regular payment cycle for our crude from next month,” Chief Executive Officer Jon Ferrier said Thursday in a statement. “This will provide us with the necessary means to recommence investment into the field.” Full-year production for its flagship Shaikan field will be 30,000 to 34,000 barrels a day, the company said. Gulf Keystone loss after tax widened to $77.7 million in the first half, from $29.8 million a year earlier. The slump in crude prices over the past year has squeezed the budgets of Iraq’s federal and regional governments, preventing regular payments to Gulf Keystone and other exporters including […]