Tullow Oil

said it was on track to reach record oil production levels

this year as it predicted growth in its output would match previous years.

The Irish-based company also said that operations in two blocks in northern Kenya that were temporarily halted by protests restarted last week.

In an interim statement the company said it was making good progress across its main operation areas. It expected to add 200 million barrels to its resources this year.

The statement, which covers the period from July 1st to November 13th, noted a number of developments, including the opening of a new basin in the Barents Sea, and upcoming drilling campaigns in Kenya, Ethiopia, Mauritania, Norway and Guinea.

100,000 barrels
The Jubilee Field off the coast of Ghana is on track to deliver average production in 2013 of about 100,000 barrels of oil per day. Gross production there would reach 120,000 by the end of the year.

“Our high-risk, high-impact exploration campaigns have delivered significant successes in Kenya and Norway, and we have a number of material well results due in the coming months,” Tullow said.

It confirmed that operations in blocks 10BB and 13T in northern Kenya restarted on November 8th. Tullow suspended work on both as a precautionary measure following demonstrations by local people, but restarted them following discussions with national and local politicians.

The blocks in question are exploration assets. Tullow began working on them over the last 12 to 15 months.