Energy

Oil Ministry slashes upstream spending for 2026

Urgent austerity plan aims to cut $1.4 billion from oil field budgets nationwide in 2026 without affecting production — a warning sign of fiscal trouble for Iraq.

Oil Minister Hayyan Abdulghani (center left) and Deputy Oil Minister for Upstream Bassim Mohammed Khdair (center right) meet with Zaid Elyaseri (far left), the president of BP Iraq, in Baghdad on Jan. 26, 2026, to discuss the company's upstream plans and project expenses. (Photo credit: Oil Ministry)

Sep 19, 2023

Baghdad approves 3-month stop-gap funding for KRG

Three monthly loans of $538 million promise temporary relief to pay civil servant salaries, but unresolved questions loom for Kurdistan's oil industry.

Sep 15, 2023

Oil veterans bring energy expertise to Prime Minister’s Office

Fayadh Nema and Falah Alamri have deep relationships in the Oil Ministry and decades of experience with hot-button energy issues.

Sep 12, 2023

Budget stalemate threatens Kurdistan’s solvency and stability

Baghdad takes a hard line against budget transfers to KRG as negotiations falter, prompting civil servant strikes and imminent protests.

Sep 9, 2023

Iraq-Turkey negotiations highlight big barriers to northern pipeline restart

High-level diplomacy has failed to make progress, and a recent U.S. legal filing from Turkey suggests a new phase of adversarial action.

Sep 7, 2023

Iraqi exports hold above 3.4 million bpd in August

Iraq is pushing the limits of its outdated southern export infrastructure as a dispute with Turkey is keeping the northern pipeline system offline.

Sep 1, 2023

Q&A: Arkan Abdul-Satar Abdul-Jabbar, director of Zubair oil field

One of Iraq's most prolific oil fields can only meet production targets if it can secure additional supplies of water to inject into reservoirs.

Aug 21, 2023

Iraq crude oil production up in July as KRG oil trickles back online

Exports and output are rising, but Kurdistan's oil industry is still in crisis due to the northern pipeline outage.

Aug 18, 2023

Upcoming Iraq-Turkey diplomacy aims for pipeline progress

Imminent ministerial-level visits to Baghdad and Ankara are likely to address major challenges to restarting Iraq’s northern exports.

Aug 9, 2023

KRG starts work to expand gas pipeline network

Construction is underway on a new pipeline to bring gas supplies from the Khor Mor field up to Dohuk.

Aug 2, 2023

Partial budget payment highlights divide in Baghdad-Erbil negotiations

The KRG has received 598 billion dinars under the new budget law — a fraction of its theoretical monthly entitlement.