Iraq's South Oil Company today issued a tender for companies to build two crude oil processing plants, or degassing facilities, in the West Qurna oilfield, an official said.

Bids for the 50,000-barrel-per-day degassing, dehydration, and desalination plants must be received by 23 April, according to the tender documents, which Reuters gained access to.

"This super giant field is underdeveloped. The field needs more crude processing banks to accommodate plans to drill new oil wells," the South Oil Comapny official told the news agency.

The official said West Qurna, with estimated reserves of around 8.682 billion barrels of oil, is producing around 300,000 barrels per day. The field has a nameplate capacity of 400,000 bpd and an estimated production potential of 650,000 bpd.

Earlier this month, Iraq issued a tender for a similar oil facility for the 5-billion-barrel Halfaya field.

Desperate for money to rebuild after years of war, the government of Prime Minister Nuri Maliki is courting top foreign players for long-term service contracts covering some of the country's major oil and gas fields.

The decline in oil prices has starved the government of funds at a sensitive time, just as the violence begins to fade, and it is also seeking ways to secure a quick boost to national output which averages around 2.3 million bpd to 2.4 million bpd.

Yesterday the South Oil Company issued a tender to drill 45 new wells at the super giant South Rumaila oilfield.