Energy NewsAn explosion Tuesday evening on the Turkish side of the Iraq-Turkey Pipeline (ITP) temporarily stopped Iraq's northern oil export flows. Turkish authorities were able to resume pipeline operations by midday Wednesday, making for a short outage that had no apparent effect on export loadings or oil field production because of the flexibility provided by storage. Local government officials in Kahramanmaras, where the explosion happened, gave a statement saying the explosion had been triggered when a power pylon fell onto the pipeline — an account seemingly corroborated by CCTV footage. But a PKK-led umbrella organization called the People's United Revolutionary Movement (HBDH) has also claimed responsibility for the explosion, raising the possibility of future threats to the only route to market for Iraqi Kurdistan's crude oil. Read the full story on Iraq Oil Report. A Sudanese engineer working for the China National Offshore Oil Corp. (CNOOC) was shot in Missan province on Jan. 12 when gunmen attacked a convoy transporting oil workers to the airport. Investigators said the assailants were members of an organized crime group running a kind of highway robbery operation, and did not appear to be targeting oil companies or expats specifically. Nonetheless, the incident highlights the risks foreign companies face because of criminal violence. Read the full story on Iraq Oil Report. Iraq has finalized contract terms with China's Sinopec for the development of the Mansuriya gas field, although the deal will not be signed before a new government is formed. If the project moves forward, Sinopec will target production of 300 million standard cubic feet per day (sfc/d). That supply would help both Iraq's electricity grid and the government budget — feeding nearby power plants that currently depend on unreliable and expensive imports from Iran. Read the full story on Iraq Oil Report. National NewsAssociated Press: IS gunmen mount deadly attacks in Syria, Iraq The Islamic State group unleashed its biggest attack in Syria since the fall of its “caliphate” three years ago. More than 100 militants assaulted the main prison holding suspected extremists, sparking a battle with U.S.-backed Kurdish fighters that continued 24 hours later and left dozens dead on Friday. Across the border in Iraq, gunmen stormed an army barracks north of Baghdad before dawn Friday while soldiers inside slept, killing 11 before escaping — the deadliest attack in months on Iraq’s military. ... The attack in Syria targeted Gweiran Prison in the northeastern city of Hassakeh, the largest of around a dozen facilities run by U.S.-backed Syrian Kurdish forces holding suspected IS fighters. Gweiran holds some 5,000, including IS commanders.... ... Friday’s attack in Iraq was a brazen strike on a barracks in the mountainous al-Azim district outside the city of Baqouba. Two security officials told The Associated Press that IS militants broke into the barracks at 3 a.m. after killing a guard., shot dead the soldiers and successfully fled.
Commentary and Analysis Professor Frank Gunter, author of "The Political Economy of Iraq," was interviewed by Lizzie Porter of Iraq Oil Report in a webinar on Jan. 20 hosted by the Iraq Britain Business Council. Gunter spoke about several inter-related challenges that Iraq faces, including corruption, headwinds preventing private-sector growth, and insufficient employment opportunities to keep pace with an expanding population. A video recording of the discussion is available here. | 