The Deputy Prime Minister for Energy Affairs and Minister of Oil Hayyan Abdul-Ghanni confirmed that the ministry pays great attention to investing the associated gas, and works to stop flaring it to reach the stage of (zero- gas flaring), noting that the quantities expected to be added to the national production of associated gas investment projects reach to more than 1100 mmscfd. This came during H.E visit to SGC and meeting with the Director General and the engineering and technical staff in the company.
The Deputy Prime Minister for Energy Affairs and Minister of Oil said that the ministry concluded a number of gas investment projects contracts, including the contract signed with the French company Total, which involves gas investment in Artawi field and another fields in Basra province with a capacity of 600 mmscfd, which is one of the most promising fields for investing and producing gas. The second project is the gas investment project in Al-Gharraf and Nasiriyah fields with a capacity of (200-250) mmscfd, which has been signed with an international company, and the completion rate of this project reached to an advanced stages, and it is hoped that it will be completed within a year, in addition to investing gas in the Halfaya field in Maysan Province, with a capacity of (250-300) mmscfd, which has been signed with a Chinese companies.
The Minister added that the next six months will witness extra quantities of invested gas to be added to the national production.
The Minister added that the ministry is also working on investing in Akkas field, which contains free gas in Anbar Province, and we are also seeking to obtain the government approval to activate the Mansuriya gas field contract in Diyala Province, which adds good quantities.
The Minister noted that these achievements in the gas sector are great and will be used to provide fuel for power stations, petrochemicals industries , fertilizers, steel iron plants and others, expressing H.E hope to reach the stage of self-sufficiency in gas production.
The Minister valued the efforts of the employees of SGC, and urged them to exert more effort to raise the production rates.
Director General of SGC Hamza Abdul-Baqi said, during his review of the company activities in the meeting, that Artawi project is one of the giant projects, an integrated gas project, and will be implemented in two phases, the first for investing gas from the fields (Majnoon, West Qurna 2 and Artawi) and the second phase will be gas investment from the fields (Al-Sabba, Al-Luhais and Al-Toba). He affirmed that the investment operations are moving forward in accordance with what is included in the government program. He affirmed also Iraq commitment to clean energy projects and reduce emissions, noting that Artawi gas investment contract, which is signed with Total, is hoped to start implementing operations within two months, after the completion of talks with the company.
The Minister of Oil listened to a presentation on the investment of associated gas in Al-Gharraf and Nasiriyah fields, and the company plans in this regard.