ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Norwegian oil and gas company DNO ASA reported a sharp decline in production at its Kurdistan Region sites during the second quarter of 2026, reflecting a temporary suspension of operations earlier this year following the outbreak of the US-Iran war.
DNO reported in a statement that its net production in the Kurdistan Region averaged just 273 barrels of oil equivalent per day (boepd) in the second quarter of this year, compared to 39,600 boepd in the first quarter and 56,070 boepd compared to the same period last year.
The company’s gross operated production in Kurdistan also fell to 363 boepd during the quarter, down from 52,800 boepd in first quarter of 2026 and 74,760 boepd in the second quarter of last year.
DNO suspended production and drilling in Kurdistan on February 28 as a precaution following the US-Israeli aerial campaign launched against Iran which resulted in weeks of hostilities after a ceasefire agreement was reached on April 8.
The company resumed operations on April 9 in a limited fashion, with crews fully returning to Tawke and Peshkabir fields in late June and early July to resume workovers on existing wells including the two drilled in late 2025 and early 2026 at its Tawke license as well as the relaunch of an eight-well drilling campaign.
Despite the resumption in production, DNO warned that the pace of recovery would depend on the performance of wells and facilities that had been shut down for an extended period, as well as the wider security situation in the region.
“The performance of wells and surface facilities that have been shut in for a prolonged period, as well as regional security conditions, will determine how quickly the Company ramps up and sustains full operations in Kurdistan,” DNO said.
DNO reported zero oil sales from Kurdistan during the second quarter of 2026, compared with 14,753 barrels per day in the first quarter of 2026 and 18,675 barrels per day in the second quarter of 2025.
In the first quarter, the company said its net entitlement oil from the Kurdistan Region was sold to a local buyer for an average of $31 per barrel.
DNO is one of the largest foreign oil producers operating in the Kurdistan Region, holding interests in Tawke and Peshkabir fields in Duhok province under its Tawke license.
