Al-Oqabi: Plans to merge oil and electricity into one ministry

Baghdad -INA

The Parliamentary Oil and Energy Committee revealed efforts to merge the ministries of oil and electricity into one ministry.

Member of the Committee, MP Amjad Al-Oqabi said in a statement to the Iraqi News Agency (INA): "His committee has an idea to merge the ministries of oil and electricity in the name of the Ministry of Energy, similar to some Arab countries."

He explained that "the proposal needs to legislate a law for the Ministry of Energy, because the ministries of Electricity and Oil each have their own law," noting that "the issue of integration has not been formally presented to the prime minister, and the merging process needs a long time and extensive discussion."

Al-Oqabi added that "the great need for gas in order to operate power stations, and the lack of cooperation between the two ministries in this matter, is what prompted the committee to think about the merging process," stressing that "the subject of supplying gas generation stations must be mandatory to limit the import operations carried out by The Ministry of Electricity".

The Ministry of Electricity has set the date for dispensing Iraq with importing gas and electric power from neighboring countries, launching the fifth licensing round to rehabilitate gas fields in Diyala province, and rehabilitating the pipeline network that would produce approximately 750 million cubic meters.