OSLO, Norway, Sept. 16 (UPI) -- Norwegian energy company DNO International announced it started an extensive testing program at its Tawke exploration well in the Kurdish north of Iraq.
DNO has a majority stake in the Tawke field in the Kurdish region of Iraq alongside Turkish energy company Genel Energy and the Kurdistan regional government.
DNO said Sunday it was extending a major testing program at its Tawke-23 exploration well. The company said it was upbeat after its Tawke-20 well, the first for the field, tested at 8,000 barrels per day and is currently on stream at an average rate of 25,000 bpd.
DNO's production from the second quarter of 2013 climbed by approximately 30 percent to 38,720 barrels of oil equivalent. It said it set a series of production milestones in the second quarter at the Tawke field, including a record daily production rate of 112,949 barrels and the highest rate for a single well with 25,052.
It didn't provide specific dates for the records when they were announced last month.
The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries said Iraqi oil production increased 7.9 percent from July to reach a 3.2 million bpd last month.
