Baghdad – INA – Falih Al-Obaidi
Today, Sunday, the Ministry of Oil revealed projects to invest 1,200 million cubic feet per day of gas associated with oil, confirming that the currently available production capacity of crude oil amounts to 5 million barrels per day.
Undersecretary of the Ministry, Hamid Younis, said in a special statement to the (INA), “Iraqi gas is divided into two types: gas associated with oil, and free gas, and that the associated gas depends entirely on the quantity of crude oil produced as it is isolated from the oil.”
He added, “The amount of gas associated with oil amounts to 2,700 million standard cubic feet per day,” pointing out that “the amount currently invested in it is estimated at 1,500 million cubic feet per day, and that part of it goes to electrical stations while the other part goes to local consumption.” Like liquid gas.
He pointed out that “the remaining uninvested associated gas is estimated at 1,200 million cubic feet per day, and that the Ministry of Oil has been planning since 2015 to fully and quickly invest the associated gas.”
He pointed out that “there are projects under implementation, including the Nasiriyah gas project with a capacity of 200 million cubic feet per day, in addition to the Halfaya gas project with a capacity of 300 million cubic feet per day, the Artawi gas project in Basra Governorate with a capacity of 400 million cubic feet per day, and the Artawi Gas Project.” South Africa, with a capacity of 300 million cubic feet per day,” he explained, explaining that “these projects will be completed according to the schedule specified for them, and all the gas associated with crude oil will be invested.”
Younis continued, “There are projects for free gas fields that were implemented years ago, including the Mansouriya project in Diyala Governorate, and the Akkas gas project in the Upper Euphrates in Anbar Governorate, but these projects were stopped due to the security events and circumstances that the country went through,” noting.
“The Ministry of Oil is striving to cooperate with reputable international companies to develop these fields.”
Regarding the rate of crude oil production, Younis said, “The available production capacity of crude oil amounts to 5 million barrels per day, but due to the conditions and determinants of OPEC Plus and Iraq’s commitment to the production reduction agreement, the current production is less than 3.5 million barrels, and that the ministry’s plan is to raise the market value of oil.” The source said that the Ministry of Oil aims to raise the production capacity of the refineries and improve the quality of petroleum products, as well as the optimal investment of gas.