Iraqi state companies have been quietly prepping the massive Akkas gas field near the Syrian border to begin production, more than a decade after it was awarded to the Korean firm Kogas to be developed, a process that was derailed by the so-called Islamic State (IS) group and other security risks.
Akkas now appears poised to commence production through a combination of wells drilled prior to the 2003 U.S. invasion of Iraq, and repurposing equipment from the Mansuriya gas field, where development has also been delayed.