IRAQ DATA: Dec oil production up 4.7%, breaching OPEC+ quota

Dubai — Iraq's December oil production, including from the semi-autonomous Kurdistan region, rose 4.7% month on month to 3.857 million b/d, to be above the country's OPEC+ quota, data from the State Oil Marketing Organization showed Jan. 7.

OPEC's second-largest producer had a 3.804 million b/d quota for December under the OPEC+ deal.

Production from the federal government rose 4.2% to 3.366 million b/d in December, while output from Kurdistan increased 7.7% to 491,000 b/d, SOMO data showed.

Iraq struggled for most of 2020 to comply with its OPEC+ quota amid the low oil price environment, the pandemic and a financial crisis gripping the country. Iraq's lax compliance, among the worst in OPEC+ in 2020, has complicated the coalition's efforts to balance an oil market suffering from anemic demand outlook.

Iraq's new quota for January is a tad higher at 3.857 million b/d, giving it some relief.

Federal oil exports rose 5% to 2.846 million b/d in December, while Kurdish export increased 8.2% to 461,000 b/d, according to SOMO data.

Crude domestic use in federal Iraq was unchanged at 520,000 b/d and in Kurdistan it remained steady at 30,000 b/d.