Baghdad – IA
Today, Saturday, the Ministry of Oil clarified the details of its plans to invest in gas and the expected production volume, and while it confirmed that the current contracts signed included all fields that could increase national production, it specified the amount of gas expected to be produced during the current year.
Ministry spokesman Assem Jihad told the (INA): “The ministry has several contracts for gas investment, the most important of which is its contract with the French company Total, which was signed last year and includes four very important contracts concerned with infrastructure, development of the oil industry, and renewable energy.”
He added, “The contract includes investing in gas with a capacity of 600 million standard cubic feet per day, in two stages, the first stage is 300 million standard cubic feet per day, and the second stage is 300 million standard cubic feet,” indicating that “this step is important to stop burning gas and convert this energy into useful.” It supplies industries in general, the electricity sector, petrochemical industries, and all industries related to that.”
He continued, “The contract with Total was an important step with the global energy giant and certainly this is an important addition to the oil industry in Iraq,” noting that “Total’s contract includes gas investment in five fields in southern Iraq, including Majnoon, West Qurna, Al-Lhais, and Al-Tawi.”
Jihad said, “We also have another contract with the Basra Gas Company, which was established after 2010 in agreement with Shell and Mitsubishi. It is a joint national company that invests gas from three important fields, including Rumaila and Zubair, and we expect it to add 200 million standard cubic feet per day after its completion.”
He stated, “The Ministry’s plans aim to invest gas from all fields that are expected to add large quantities to the gas sector in Iraq, and this is what we have worked on,” pointing out that “these five fields are very important and are relied upon as the primary weight for raising Iraq’s gas production capacity.”
He stated that “the Ministry also recently signed a contract to invest in the Nahran Bin Omar field, which will produce 150 million standard cubic feet in the first phase. If work develops and production in this field is expanded, it is possible to add another 150 million cubic feet.”
He continued, “All possible fields that are expected to increase the volume of national production have been contracted for,” noting that “raising the level of production will be gradual, and its peak will be in 2028.”
He pointed out that “these projects require complex technology and time to invest, and the government is pressuring the implementing companies to reduce the time between two to five years.”
He added in his speech, “We also have the Halfaya gas project, which will add 300 million standard cubic feet per day in the last quarter of this year, and also about 70 million standard cubic feet will be added from the investment of the Dhi Qar fields,” pointing out that “the investment of the Dhi Qar fields, which… It includes the Al-Gharraf and Nasiriyah fields by about 200 million standard cubic feet, thus adding approximately half the amount to national production, which will reduce the volume of imports.