Energy

Iraq seeks backup export options as Basra loadings falter

Cabinet orders emergency package for boosting oil sales after dropping to a multi-decade low in May.

Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi (center right), Oil Minister Bassim Mohammed Khudair (far left), and Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein (second from left) confer at a Cabinet meeting in Baghdad on June 2, 2026. (Photo credit: Oil Ministry)

Jan 19, 2022

Oil worker shot in attempted highway robbery

Despite the presence of a security protection team, an armed gang attacked a convoy carrying international oil workers to the Basra airport.

Jan 14, 2022

Iraq’s December oil surge caps a year of recovering production

Crude output increased to nearly 4.5 million bpd in December, as Iraq continued opening the taps in response to loosening OPEC-plus quotas.

Jan 13, 2022

Iraq sets out blueprint for sovereign wealth fund for clean energy

Now that Iraq has finished decades' worth of reparations payments to Kuwait, the Cabinet is proposing to continue diverting a portion of oil sales for a new purpose — domestic clean energy investments.

Jan 11, 2022

KRG shuts border with Syrian Kurds, cutting oil artery

The closure blocks a major source of funding for the Rojava administration, a U.S. ally in the fight against IS.

Jan 6, 2022

Iraqi crude exports rise steadily through 2021

Increasing OPEC-plus quotas and a recovery in global oil prices helped Iraq achieve rising crude exports and revenues.

Jan 5, 2022

UPDATE: Cabinet taps INOC to acquire Exxon’s stake in West Qurna 1

Iraq is trying to resolve a dispute over one of its largest oil fields by authorizing the newly formed national oil company to take over ExxonMobil's operating stake.

Jan 5, 2022

Kurdistan’s energy sector 2021: year in review

Crude output fell as payment and regulatory uncertainty put investors on edge, but new activity could lead to production increases in 2022.

Dec 15, 2021

Water shortages prompt RPG fire near Gharraf oil field

As Iraq begins to suffer the intensifying effects of climate change, competition for water threatens to spark conflict.

Dec 15, 2021

Looming arbitration highlights Kurdistan’s gas strategy woes

Genel Energy is taking the KRG to arbitration after years of failure to agree on a plan for developing the Miran and Bina Bawi gas fields.

Dec 12, 2021

$4+ billion debt compounds Kurdistan’s electricity challenges

Power producers in Iraqi Kurdistan are owed huge sums, forcing some to delay maintenance and sending a chilling signal to prospective investors.