The idea of developing the 4.36 billion-barrel Nasiriyah oilfield in southern Iraq’s Dhi Qar province has been seriously mooted by the each of the rapid succession of governments in Iraq since it was discovered by the Iraq National Oil Company in 1975. These plans have variously been for the standalone development of the oil field or its development within the broader scope of the ‘Nasiriyah Integrated Project’ (NIP) that also includes the corollary construction of a 300,000 barrels per day (bpd) refinery. All major plans stalled in one way or another but last week’s signing of an 18-month contract to international oil and gas well drilling company Weatherford International with the Iraqi Drilling Company (IDC) to provide services and project management for the drilling and completion of 20 wells in the Nasiriyah field signals that a sustained and substantial development of Iraq’s hidden hydrocarbons gem may finally be underway. […]