CAPITAL: MANAMA
MONETARY UNIT: DINAR
REFINING CAPACITY: 248,900 B/D
OIL PRODUCTION: 102,400 B/D
OIL RESERVES: 148.1 MILLION BBL
GAS RESERVES: 3.8 TCF
State-owned oil refiner Bahrain Petroleum Co. (BAPCO) completed a merger in early 2000 with state oil-producing firm Bahrain National Oil Co. (BANOCO).
The merged company was renamed Bahrain Petroleum Co.
BAPCO operated the nation's 248,900-b/d refinery. BANOCO conducted domestic oil production and distributed petroleum products.
The Bahraini government acquired 100% of BAPCO after buying the 40% interest held by Caltex, the joint venture of Texaco Inc. and Chevron Corp.
In upstream activity during 2000, Bapco let a 2-year contract to CGG for geophysical, geological, and reservoir studies of the production potential of Awali oil field.
Part of the work involved integration with well data of 350 sq km of 3D seismic data that CGG acquired on Bahraini territory during June-November 1998.
Awali, found in 1931, was the Persian Gulf's first oil discovery.
Bahrain and Qatar held preliminary talks on building a natural gas pipeline from Qatar's supergiant North field to consumers in Manama and other areas in Bahrain. The line would be a lateral from a trunkline to Kuwait.
Qatar and Kuwait said in May 2000 they had signed a letter of intent to build a gas pipeline to supply North field gas to Kuwait.
