The Cabinet holds the regular session, decisions included

INA - BAGHDAD

The Cabinet held the 8th regular session on Tuesday, chaired by PM Muhammed S. Al-Sudani discussing general issues in the country and taking several highlighted decisions. 

The Cabinet approved the new bill for the Popular Mobilization Commission and referred it to the Council of Representatives for a vote, stated the PM's Media Office in a statement - received by the Iraqi News Agency - INA.

As part of the government’s efforts to protect the environment and reduce pollution, the PM directed the adoption of the recommendations outlined in the special report prepared by the Ministry of Environment on addressing air pollution issues and the spread of unpleasant odors, as follows:

1. The Ministry of Finance shall strengthen the human resources of the environmental directorates in Baghdad and the provinces by transferring specialized environmental staff from the Ministry of Health to the Ministry of Environment, as an exception to existing regulations.

2. The Ministry of Finance shall expedite funding procedures for the Ministry of Environment to procure spare parts, conduct maintenance and rehabilitation of air quality monitoring stations, establish a national center for processing and integrating data from monitoring stations in Baghdad and the provinces, track emission sources, and provide portable devices to support the core monitoring system.

3. Providing the necessary funding for the Ministry of Environment to carry out its daily tasks related to environmental inspection, monitoring, and oversight.

4. The Ministry of Oil adopting combustion improvement catalysts to enhance the quality of fuel supplied to factories and industrial plants, reduce emissions, and accelerate the transition to liquefied gas as a cleaner energy source for these facilities.

5. Expediting the assessment of the pilot project proposed by the Ministry of Industry and Minerals for the installation of emission control systems.

6. Instructing security authorities to support technical teams, tightening control over unregulated industrial activities that contribute to air pollution, and enforcing legal measures against violators.

As part of efforts to advance the completion of infrastructure projects, PM Al-Sudani directed the exemption of Al-Hamza Al-Kabir District Sewer Project in Al-Diwaniyah Province from the financial registration requirements at the Ministry of Finance, allowing the contracting procedures to proceed. 

These procedures shall be finalized upon the issuance of the 2025 Federal General Budget tables and the approval of the loan-related plan by the Ministry of Construction, Housing, Municipalities, and Public Works.

As part of the government’s efforts to complete stalled projects and initiate new service-oriented initiatives, the Cabinet approved the following:

1. Increasing the contingency allocation and overall cost for (the construction and furnishing of Al-Ameriyah Municipality Directorate) in Al-Anbar Province, as included in the provincial budget.

2. Adding an infrastructure component including (rainwater drainage, sewage systems, and electricity supply) to be included in the (200-bed Al-Nahrawan General Hospital turnkey project in Baghdad), listed under the 2024 investment budget tables of the Ministry of Health, along with an increase in the total cost for this component.

3. Increasing the contingency allocation and overall cost for the construction of a (100-bed hospital in Safwan District), Basra Province.

As part of the government’s efforts to ensure the availability of food ration items, the Cabinet approved the recommendations for settling the outstanding dues of Al-Owais Company as follows:

A negotiation committee was formed to engage with Al-Owais Company, chaired by the Administrative Undersecretary of the Ministry of Planning, and including the Director General of the Public Government Contracts Directorate at the Ministry of Planning, the Director General of the Accounting Directorate at the Ministry of Finance, and the Director General of the General Company for Food Trade at the Ministry of Trade. 

The committee is responsible for addressing and settling the company’s outstanding dues resulting from the exchange rate changes in the food basket contract and submitting a recommendation on the settlement amount to the Cabinet.

The Cabinet continued its efforts to advance energy sector projects, approving an increase in the consultancy contract amount for the Basra Refinery Development / Fluid Catalytic Cracking (FCC) Project with the Japanese company UNICO and the French company TECHNIP, along with an extension of the contract duration, as an exception to the regulations attached to Government Contracting Instructions No. (2) of 2014.

The Cabinet authorized the Ministry of Oil / Basra Oil Company to sign a non-binding Memorandum of Understanding with (Aurasyia Scope Group Oil & Gas UK LTD) for the tank farm and industrial island project, recognizing its strategic importance for Iraq’s oil industry. 

The project aims to solidify Iraq’s presence in the Arabian Gulf’s regional waters, support national economic growth, and boost financial revenues for the federal treasury.

The Cabinet Also Approved the Following:
The Cabinet authorized the Director General of the Central Euphrates State Company for Electricity Production to sign a contract extension addendum under additional work requirements for the maintenance and operation of diesel power plants for a five-year term, based on the commercial proposal submitted by (Dasoff Petroleum Service LLC), maintaining the same tariff rate under the Take and Pay basis, with a targeted production capacity of 750 megawatts in the first contractual year. 

The contract also includes the implementation of work beyond the original scope, with the extension period subject to annual review based on requirements and mutual agreement between both parties, as an exception to Government Contracting Instructions No. (2) of 2014 and its related regulations. 

The company will be responsible for ensuring the efficiency of the updated or additional system, guaranteeing the safe and reliable operation of the generation units at the four diesel power plants, in line with the recommendations of the equipment manufacturer.

The Cabinet also authorized the Ministry of Electricity to sign a contract for the 921 MW simple cycle and combined cycle power project in Al-Nasiriyah, with its funding allocated in multiple phases under a (multi-year budget) framework.

As part of efforts to strengthen international cooperation in the field of peaceful nuclear energy, the Cabinet approved authorizing the Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research and Chairman of the Iraqi Atomic Energy Commission, to negotiate and sign a cooperation agreement between the Government of the Republic of Iraq and the Government of the People’s Republic of China on the peaceful applications of nuclear energy.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs was directed to prepare the necessary authorization document and submit it to the General Secretariat of the Cabinet for final approval and the Prime Minister’s signature.

Following the PM’s directive, the Cabinet voted to grant Dr. Mohammed Taher Abu Ragheef a residential apartment in Al-Khadraa Housing Complex in Baghdad, along with a diplomatic passport, in recognition of his humanitarian role during the war in Gaza. The Ministry of Finance was instructed to allocate the necessary funding for the apartment.