Oil & Gas Iraq makes huge oil discovery but faces Opec restrictions Iraq has announced the discovery of a massive oil field expected to significantly increase the country’s hydrocarbon reserves, but Baghdad will face a number of challenges in its attempt to exploit the new resource. The field, located in the central part of the country, contains more than 2 billion barrels of medium and light crude […] January 21, 2025
Oil & Gas ‘It’s costing huge sums’ – Iraq may stop buying Iranian gas Iraq may stop importing natural gas from its neighbour Iran when projects to develop the country’s unexploited gas resources are complete, the country’s oil minister has hinted. Hayan Abdel Ghani told the official Iraqi news agency that the bill for Iranian gas imports was sapping Iraq’s coffers, and the Iranian supplies were no longer secure, […] January 20, 2025
Banking & Finance Iraq lowers ceiling to crack down on money laundering Iraq is slashing the ceiling of the value of property transactions that require dealers to make disclosure to the authorities. The Central Bank’s decision on Thursday is the latest in a series of measures taken by the Opec member over the past few years to tighten its grip on the local market and to combat […] January 17, 2025
Oil & Gas Iraq and Halliburton near deal to up oilfield output by 500% Iraq is close to finalising a development deal with Halliburton, a US oil services provider, to expand the capacity of its Nahr Bin Omar oilfield by 500 percent, a news report said. The oil ministry and Halliburton are expected to sign a confidentiality agreement in the coming days, Bassem Abdul Karim, director general of state-owned […] January 17, 2025
Trade Iraq and UK sign $15bn deal to strengthen trade ties Iraq has signed a set of agreements with the UK worth £12.3 billion ($14.98 billion) as the two countries aim to bolster their growing trade relationship. The package, more than 10 times last year’s total UK-Iraq bilateral trade, was disclosed following a meeting between British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and his Iraqi counterpart Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani […] January 15, 2025
Banking & Finance Iraq hires EY to explore restructuring of state banks Iraq is considering merging its two largest state banks as part of a restructuring plan prompted by a sharp erosion of their assets over recent years because of accumulating non-performing loans, local media has reported. London-based auditing firm Ernst & Young (EY) is conducting a study on the restructuring of the Rafidain and Rasheed banks […] January 14, 2025
Energy Iraq breaks ground on first facility to stop gas flaring A consortium comprising state-owned QatarEnergy has begun constructing the first processing facility for the associated gas from the Ratawi field in Iraq’s Basra region. The facility, part of the gas growth integrated Project (GGIP), will be developed at an investment of $250 million and will process 50 million cubic feet per day (cfd) of gas […] January 12, 2025
Renewable Energy Acwa Power awarded 1GW solar project in Iraq Iraq has invited Saudi Arabian utilities major Acwa Power to finalise an agreement for the construction of a 1,000 megawatt (MW) solar energy plant, local media reported. The country, Opec’s second largest oil producer, is engaged in a post-war programme to tackle a persistent power supply deficit. The plant in the Central Najaf governorate is […] January 10, 2025
Oil & Gas Iraq proposes moving one of its oldest oil refineries Iraq is considering dismantling one of its oldest oil refineries and moving it outside the capital Baghdad for environmental reasons, but it faces parliamentary objections because of the high cost of the removal. A member of parliament’s oil and gas committee said that dismantling and moving Daura refinery to a remote location outside Baghdad could […] January 9, 2025
Finance Iraq targets 20% non-oil revenue to close fiscal gap Iraq has set a target to raise non-oil revenues to 20 percent of national income to tackle the country’s persistent budget deficit, a senior official has said. Non-oil revenues – which include tax and customs as well as earnings outside the hydrocarbon sector – rose to nearly 12 percent in the first nine months of […] January 8, 2025
Infrastructure Iraq expects road and rail project to provide 20,000 jobs Iraq’s planned $17 billion project to build a rail line and motorway up to the border with Turkey aims to create at least 20,000 jobs for citizens, officials said. Transport minister Razzak Al-Saadawi said the Road Of Development project, which is backed by the UAE and Qatar, will include the construction of several industry cities […] January 7, 2025
Analysis Oil & Gas Iraq turns to Turkmenistan to plug Iranian gas gap Iraq has always considered neighbouring Iran as a stable and reliable supplier of natural gas needed to run its power facilities, but experts now believe that alternative sources and domestic Iranian needs have put this relationship in doubt. Iran’s gas exports to Iraq have fluctuated sharply and the shortage has played havoc with Iraq’s power […] January 6, 2025
Analysis Oil & Gas Assad’s fall spurs calls to revive Iraq-Syria oil pipeline The overthrow of the former Syrian president, Bashar Al-Assad, has brought calls for the revival of the now-defunct pipeline that once carried crude oil from Iraq to a Syrian port on the Mediterranean. Several Iraqi experts have urged their government to consider rebuilding the facility as an outlet for the Opec member’s oil exports to […] January 3, 2025
Oil & Gas Iraq gives go-ahead to $4.6bn oil pipeline Iraq has approved the construction of the 5.97 trillion dinars ($4.6 billion) Basrah-Haditha oil pipeline, according to a local media report. The project is being developed by state-backed Basra Oil Company and Oil Projects Company, and funded under the Iraq-China agreement, Shafaq News reported. In August, the oil ministry proposed a pipeline to transport crude […] December 31, 2024
Oil & Gas Iraq has a tough job to balance Opec quotas with its capacity goals Iraq is facing some tough choices and conflicts when it comes to its national oil policy. While its oil production is expected to rise by only around 200,000 barrels per day (bpd) in the next two years, in line with a new supply restraint accord by Opec+, it already has plans to boost output capacity […] December 23, 2024
Energy BP and Iraq agree terms on redeveloping Kirkuk oilfield British oil major BP has finalised the technical terms with the Iraqi government for redeveloping the Kirkuk oil and gas fields. In August, it signed an agreement with Iraq to develop and explore the Kirkuk oilfield, including plans to build power plants and solar capacity, Reuters reported. Iraq, the second-largest oil producer in Opec, has a production capacity of almost 5 […] December 20, 2024
Opinion Infrastructure Rebuilding Syria would revive its nexus status A stable environment in Syria, Lebanon and Iraq would encourage an influx of foreign capital December 16, 2024
Telecoms Vodafone gets licence to operate Iraq’s 5G network The Iraqi cabinet has approved a licence for Vodafone Global Telecommunications to operate the country’s first 5G network. The cabinet directed the ministry of communications to proceed with the project, state-run Iraq News Agency (INA) reported, citing a statement by the prime minister’s media office. Vodafone said it was discussing a role as an advisor in […] November 27, 2024
Renewable Energy QatarEnergy to develop solar project in Iraq with Total State-backed QatarEnergy and France’s TotalEnergies have signed an agreement to develop a solar power plant as part of the gas growth integrated project (GGIP) in Iraq. The two companies will equally own the project, but the agreement is subject to regulatory approvals. The project, “one of the largest in the world”, will consist of two […] October 29, 2024
Oil & Gas BP seeking new investments in Iraq and Kuwait BP is in talks for new investments in Iraq and Kuwait as the company refocuses on oil and gas. The British energy giant is in discussions to invest in three new projects in Iraq, including one in the Majnoon field near Basra, sources have told Reuters. In August BP signed an agreement with the Iraqi […] October 8, 2024
Opinion Logistics Conflict will severely disrupt Middle East logistics Air cargo is particularly hard hit by escalating conflict in the Middle East October 3, 2024
Opinion Oil & Gas Opec’s no-win situation on oil prices There’s not much that the quota-bound bloc members can do for now September 17, 2024