Energy

Summer crisis looms as wartime disruptions hit Iraq’s power sector

Iraq's electricity grid has survived a drop in domestic gas feedstock by employing backup measures that are unlikely to meet the challenges of summertime demand spikes.

Workers from Iraq's State Company for Oil Projects install a pipeline to help transport gas from the Nahr Bin Omar field to the Basra Gas Company's NGL processing plant at North Rumaila in April 2026. (Photo credit: SCOP)

Apr 20, 2020

Fields and refineries shut in as Iraq production drops ahead of deeper OPEC cuts

Falling demand forced crude output to two-year lows in March, putting the squeeze on Iraq's oil sector even before a new OPEC quota reduction takes effect.

Apr 16, 2020

Iraq slashing allocations to largest refinery as demand plummets

The move reflects domestic storage limitations and the global demand shock that led OPEC and other producers to drastically curtail output through the rest of the year.

Apr 14, 2020

Cross-border fuel pipeline delayed by Iranian, KRG bureaucratic tangle

Red tape and rivalries have prevented the startup of a short pipeline designed to improve the efficiency of the KRG's fuel imports from Iran while mitigating coronavirus risk.

Apr 7, 2020

Government scrambles for solutions as Iraq faces financial free fall

Confronting low oil prices and a pandemic, Iraq will likely be forced to draw heavily from its foreign currency reserves while slashing oil and investment spending.

Apr 6, 2020

Oil Ministry, MPs condemn rocket attack on oil sites in Basra

Investigators say rocket attack on Iraqi and foreign oil sites was likely part of a broader conflict between paramilitaries and U.S. in Iraq.

Apr 2, 2020

March oil revenues drop sharply, but exports steady

Despite operational disruptions posed by the coronavirus crisis, Iraq maintained its pace of oil exports — but falling global prices sent monthly government revenue to a four-year low.

Mar 30, 2020

Mandatory retirement further strains Oil Ministry capacity

Senior Deputy Oil Minister Fayadh Nema is retiring – the latest top ministry official to leave his post after a new law reduced the mandatory retirement age.

Mar 30, 2020

New pipeline streamlines KRG-Iran fuel trade

A newly built cross-border pipeline is expected to begin pumping imminently, allowing Iraqi Kurdistan to continue Iranian fuel imports while reducing truck traffic and coronavirus risks.

Mar 26, 2020

U.S. tightens window on Iraq’s new sanctions waiver

Iraq's latest Iran sanctions waiver is the shortest yet – 30 days – reflecting an ongoing strain in relations between Baghdad and Washington.

Mar 25, 2020

Iraq limits production despite Saudi ramp-up

The Oil Ministry has continued to throttle back production at state-run fields with spare capacity, even as Saudi Arabia and Russia prepare to open the taps for a price war.