MEOG: Iraq expects gas from WQ-1 by year-end

Iraq's Prime Minister Mohammad Shia al-Sudani has announced that gas production at the West Qurna-1 oilfield concession is expected to commence within the next six months. The announcement was made during a high-level meeting focused on the national energy strategy and the Ministry of Electricity’s ongoing projects.

To accelerate the plans initiative, al-Sudani has directed the formation of a cross-ministerial task force. This new team, drawing expertise from the ministries of planning, electricity, oil, and finance, along with the Advisory Board, is tasked with urgently updating Iraq's national integrated energy strategy.

The revised strategy aims to ensure a cohesive development of the energy sector, coordinating the availability of gas supply sources for new gas power plants, the integration of gas transmission pipelines with oil field production, and the readiness of power plants to leverage these resources.

Al-Sudani emphasised the importance of the strategy in reducing the financial burden of energy infrastructure on state funds. He instructed that the specialised team, in consultation with US oilfield services specialist KBR, which is acting as consultant for the Ministry of Planning, should submit a comprehensive report on the strategy update.

The meeting also addressed the integration of new gas transmission pipelines from West Qurna-1 into Iraq’s national gas network, underscoring the urgency of aligning infrastructure development with upcoming gas production.