Oil Minister confirms the Oil Projects Company is a national company responsible for planning and implementing infrastructure projects

Baghdad-INA
Deputy Prime Minister for Energy Affairs and Minister of Oil, Hayyan Abdul-Ghani, confirmed on Thursday, that the Oil Projects Company is a national company responsible for planning and implementing infrastructure projects, while stressing that the Ministry pays exceptional attention to the development of national companies and the national effort.

A statement from the ministry, received by the Iraqi News Agency (INA), said, “The Minister of Oil delivered a speech during his attendance at a celebration of the 59th anniversary of the founding of the Oil Projects Company and praised” the great role played by the Oil Projects Company in planning and implementing important strategic projects, which is considered one of the most important executive and engineering joints to the Ministry of Oil."

The statement added, "This anniversary coincides with the sixty-third anniversary of the founding of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) in Baghdad - Dar Salaam on September 14, 1960," noting that "both events represent a bright mark in the history of the oil industry in Iraq."

It explained, "Over the past six decades, the company has succeeded in overcoming difficult circumstances and facing challenges, as it was able to achieve great achievements and implement important projects, thanks to the national effort and Iraqi competencies in various technical, engineering, consulting and administrative specializations, projects that had a pioneering role in increasing and sustaining production, export and storage capacities, pipeline transportation operations, and other activities,” stressing that “the Ministry gives exceptional attention to the development of national companies and the national effort to advance its work."

The statement  continued, "The Ministry today proudly recalls some of the company's achievements and important projects, including the Basra Oil Port project, the Iraqi-Turkish pipeline project, and the strategic line, in addition to the Rumaila field development project, gas investment projects, and the refinery rehabilitation project pipeline network projects, projects to increase storage capacities, and many different projects."

It stressed that "those achievements are still a matter of appreciation and pride for the leadership of the oil sector," calling on "national cadres to exert more effort and work to achieve the objectives of the government program and the plans of the Ministry of Oil."

For his part, “Director General of the Oil Projects Company, Ali Ward, praised the great support provided by the Minister of Oil and the leadership of the oil sector to the company,” according to the text of the statement, praising “the efforts of the company’s technical, engineering, advisory, and administrative staff,” and he also pledged “the ministry’s leadership to continue achieving achievements  a contribution from the company to the process of sustaining and increasing production and escalating storage and export capacities, through the implementation of projects to improve the infrastructure of the important oil industry, in all oil sites and fields."

Jihad pointed out that “the history of the establishment of the Petroleum Projects Company goes back to 1964 and it was titled the ‘Petroleum Planning and Construction Department’ and its most prominent tasks were to prepare technical and economic studies for projects related to the oil sector. This was then followed by the issuance of several legislations in line with the development achieved in its activities, the most important of which is Law No. 101 of 1976, according to which its name was changed to the “General Organization for Petroleum Projects,” and in 1987 its name was changed to the “Petroleum Projects Company” according to Resolution No. 266, which defined its tasks and described it as an engineering consulting and executive design company specialized in implementing oil sector projects solid engineering specifications are adopted in preparing designs, preparing materials and specialized equipment, site implementation, carrying out engineering examination work, initial operation, trial examination and delivery."