Kurdistan cash set to go elsewhere
The region’s main operators have oil price boom earnings burning a hole in their pockets, but they may well be largely deployed elsewhere
The three firms most prominent in Kurdistan’s oil sector are taking differing approaches to what to do with coffers bolstered by the sustained high price environment. UK-headquartered Gulf Keystone is aiming to boost production from its key asset in the region, as well as returning cash to shareholders. But both Norway’s DNO and AIM-listed Genel Energy, while maintaining Kurdish production, may focus on deploying their growing capital elsewhere. The former has entered Cote d’Ivoire and has a raft of prospects in its home Norwegian continental shelf (NCS) market. The latter has committed itself to making a transformative acquisition, but there is no certainty it will be in Kurdistan. Gulf Key
Also in this section
13 March 2026
Brussels is again weighing a cap on gas prices amid the Hormuz crisis, but the measure could backfire by deterring the LNG cargoes Europe urgently needs
12 March 2026
Emergency oil stocks provide a last line of defence to oil market shocks, so the IEA’s unprecedented 400m bl release represents something of a double-edged sword
12 March 2026
LPG could rapidly expand access to clean cooking across Africa and prevent hundreds of thousands of deaths from indoor air pollution each year, but infrastructure shortages and regulatory barriers are slowing investment and market growth
11 March 2026
Missiles over Dubai and disruption in Hormuz are testing the emirate’s reputation—and shaking the energy hub at the centre of the Gulf economy






