The Iraqi cabinet has authorised Litasco, a marketing and trading affiliate of the Russian oil and gas company Lukoil, to finance the expansion of the Nassiriya oil project. The project, which is operated by the Iraqi state-owned oil and gas company Dhiqar Oil, is expected to double the field's production capacity to 200,000 bbl/d. The State Organization for Marketing of Oil (SOMO) will repay Litasco with crude oil shipments. The project, which is expected to take 28 months, comprises a 100,000 bbl/ oil production facility and a 42 km pipeline developed by a joint venture between State Company for Oil Projects, part of Iraqi Ministry of Oil, and Italian engineering and contracting company Progetti Europa & Global. Since 2010, Lukoil operates the West Qurna-2 oil field with a target of achieving plateau production of 800,000 bbl/d at the end of 2024.