The Iraqi Ministry of Petroleum issued a statement stating that Sinopec has obtained a contract to develop the Mansuria natural gas field in Diyala, the eastern province of Iraq. Last year, Iraq cancelled the contract to develop the gas field with a consortium led by Turkish Petroleum Corp, and invited international energy companies to bid for development. The Iraqi Ministry of Petroleum said that Sinopec won the contract in a bidding held on Tuesday.

The statement stated that Midland Oil Company, a state-owned Iraqi oil company, will jointly develop the Mansuriya gas field with Sinopec. Sinopec will hold a 49% interest in the gas field, and Midland Oil Company will hold a 51% interest. The contract period is 25 years. The statement quoted Petroleum Minister Ihsan Abdul Jabbar as saying that Sinopec will help Iraq extract and process natural gas in the gas field, with the goal of increasing production to 300 million cubic feet/day