Iraq, Exxon talks on water treatment project end-BOC director general

VIENNA (Reuters) - Iraq is no longer in talks with Exxon Mobil Corp <XOM.N> for the oil major to build a giant water treatment facility vital for the OPEC member to grow its oil production capacity, the director general of the Basrah Oil Co (BOC) told reporters on Wednesday.

Instead, the BOC will award the contract to build the Common Seawater Supply Project (CSSP) through a tender process, which it expects to award at the end of July, Ihsan Ismaael said on the sidelines of the OPEC seminar in Vienna.

BOC has already shortlisted three companies for the contract, which will be awarded on an Engineering Procurement Construction basis, from an initial list of seven applicants, he said.

(Reporting by Ahmad Ghaddar and Ernest Scheyder)