On September 7, ZhenHua Oil's East Baghdad Oilfield Project held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for Iraq's first multi-lateral horizontal well, EBSH3-2-2H. Mr.Basim Mohammed, Iraqi Deputy Oil Minister for Upstream Affairs, Mr.Mohammed Yaseen, Director General of the Midland Oil Company, and Mr.Ma Cheng, General Manager of EBS Petroleum Company, attended the event.

The EBSH3-2-2H well spudded in on June 28, 2024, taking 64 days to complete all the operations. The Ha-3B formation is an essential target layer in the East Baghdad Oilfield, containing abundant oil and gas resources. However, an extensive developed interlayer in this formation made it difficult for conventional horizontal well to efficiently develop the reserves. Faced with this challenge, the project team conducted thorough research and rigorous evaluations, and innovatively proposed a multi-lateral drilling and completion solution. This approach enabled the simultaneous and efficient development of the upper and lower oil layers within the Ha-3B formation. In collaboration with the Exploration and Development Research Institute, they continuously optimized the operation procedures to address technical difficulties. The successful trial of this multi-lateral horizontal well technology not only fully unlocked the development potential of the Ha-3B formation, but also provided a new path for subsequent multi-layer development from a single borehole. It further demonstrated ZhenHua Oil's robust technical capabilities and exceptional management abilities to the Iraqi market, following the record-breaking achievement of Iraq's longest horizontal well.

Simultaneously, the successful completion of this well attracted significant attention from mainstream media outlets in China and Iraq. Xinhua News Agency, CCTV, Iraqi News Agency, and Iraqi News Channel conducted on-site interviews and reports. The Iraqi Ministry of Oil, the Midland Oil Company, and other official institutions also published text and video coverage on their official websites and social media accounts. The related content triggered a strong response across various sectors of Iraqi society, greatly enhancing ZhenHua Oil's comprehensive brand image and laying a solid foundation for the company to further cultivate the Iraqi market and establish a multidimensional energy cooperation landscape.