Al-Omar field

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.

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
Field history
Start of development	1987
Production
Peak of production (oil)	80,000 barrels per day (~5.0×10^6 t/a)
Estimated oil in place	760 million barrels (~1.3×10^8 t)

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

1. Almohamad, Hussein; Dittmann, Andreas (2016). "Oil in Syria between Terrorism and Dictatorship". University of Giessen. 5 (2): 20. doi:10.3390/socsci5020020.
2. 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.
3. "Islamist rebels capture Syria's largest oilfield: activists". Reuters. 23 November 2013. Archived from the original on 15 November 2015. Retrieved 30 June 2017.
4. 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.
5. Francis, Ellen (22 October 2017). "U.S.-backed militias seize key oil field in east Syria - SDF". Reuters.
6. "The US and al-Omar oil field: Military base or oil greed". enabbaladi.net. 23 September 2022.