2023-11-07T08:19:03+00:00
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/ The Iraqi Ministry of Electricity announced, today, Tuesday, discussions being held by a government delegation in Turkmenistan to complete the procedures for supplying gas to the country, after a first visit by the Turkmen Minister of Energy to sign a memorandum of understanding in Baghdad last month.
The ministry said in a statement received by Agency, “Minister Ziad Ali Fadel arrived this morning in Turkmenistan at the head of a government delegation, to complete the procedures for supplying Turkmen gas to Iraq.”
The ministry added, “The delegation will hold meetings with energy officials in Turkmenistan, in continuation of the consultations held in Baghdad last month, which resulted in the conclusion of a memorandum of understanding between the two countries stipulating the supply of gas to Iraq through the Iranian pipeline network to reach Iraqi electricity stations.”
The statement continued, “This visit comes in line with the adoptions of the government program, which aims, in its first phase, to diversify the sources of energy supplied to Iraq, and to increase the hours of electricity supply to citizens, until the gas investment projects are completed and the renewable energy projects currently implemented are completed, which guarantee access to self-sufficiency.” of energy locally.
On October 6, 2023, the Iraqi Minister of Electricity, Ziad Ali Fadel, signed a memorandum of understanding with the Turkmen Minister of State for Gas Affairs, to supply Turkmen gas to Iraq.
This came during the Iraqi Minister of Electricity’s reception of his Turkmen counterpart at the ministry’s headquarters in the capital, Baghdad, and a round of negotiations was held, which resulted in the signing of a memorandum of understanding to supply gas, which would meet the needs of the production stations and the electrical system, according to a statement from the ministry received by Agency.
Iraq imports electricity and gas from Iran, amounting to between a third and 40% of its energy needs, which is extremely important, especially in the summer months when temperatures reach 50 degrees Celsius and energy consumption reaches its peak.
Iraq is facing difficulty in paying for these imports. Due to US sanctions that only allow Iran to obtain funds to purchase non-sanctioned goods; Such as: food and medicine.
Iraq is still burning some of the gas associated with crude oil production. Because it lacks the necessary facilities to process it and turn it into fuel for local consumption or export.