Oil: Iraq has achieved self-sufficiency in gas oil and kerosene

Baghdad - INA

The Deputy Prime Minister for Energy Affairs and Minister of Oil, Hayan Abdul Ghani, confirmed that the opening of the two gas processing projects in the Halfaya field in Maysan and the Azmara unit project in Basra by Prime Minister Muhammad Shiaa Al-Sudani, today, Saturday, falls within the government’s plans to increase gasoline production and stop burning gas. While he explained the current projects to meet the total local need for the two materials, he confirmed that Iraq has achieved self-sufficiency in gas oil and kerosene producers, pointing at the same time to an increase in the production of petroleum derivatives at a rate of 360 thousand barrels per day.

Abdul-Ghani told Iraqi News, followed by the Iraqi News Agency (INA): “The government, since the beginning of its formation, took it upon itself to end the file of burning gas and converting it into productive energy for many uses, and all fields in which gas is burned have already been contracted for investment, with the aim of ending this file by the end of the 2028 year or the beginning of 2029.”

He added, "Among the contracts signed is a contract with the French company Total and Qatar Gas Company. The contract is proceeding at a clear pace and includes investing gas from 5 oil fields: Majnoon, West Qurna 2, Al-Lhais, Tuba and Artawi during two phases: the first with a capacity of 300 mqmq during the first three years and the second also with 300 mqmq and reaching a total production of 600 mqmq within 5 years.”

He continued, "There are also promising projects in Dhi Qar Governorate, including a contract signed with the American company Baker Hughes to invest gas from the Nasiriyah and Al-Gharraf fields with a capacity of 200 mqm, and there is a contract recently signed with the Halfaya Company to invest gas from the Nahr Bin Omar field with a capacity of 150 mqm, which can be increased to 300 mqmq, and there is also a gas processing project in the Halfaya field, which was inaugurated by Prime Minister Muhammad Shiaa al-Sudani today, with a design capacity of up to 300 mqmq.

Regarding the oil derivatives file, Abdul Ghani explained, “The Ministry has taken clear steps in the project to provide the local need for derivatives, and the Ministry has been able to increase the rate of refining capacity by 360 thousand barrels per day through the Karbala refinery with a capacity of 140 thousand barrels, in addition to the production of the North Refinery in Baiji, with a capacity of 150,000 barrels per day, as well as the production of the fourth unit in the South Refineries Company, with a capacity of 70,000 barrels.”

Abdul-Ghani announced that Iraq has achieved self-sufficiency in producing gas oil and kerosene (white oil), noting that “sufficiency has not only been achieved, but we have quantities of up to one million and 200 thousand barrels of gas prepared for export, and this is happening for the first time, and the ministry is currently focusing to achieve self-sufficiency in gasoline and stop its import, which is what the government is currently focusing on, and the opening of the Azmara unit today by the Prime Minister in Basra, which will add 1,300 cubic meters of gasoline.”