Iraq increases gas production
A natural gas processing plant under construction in Halfaya oil field in the southern Iraqi governorate of Maysan. Photo: Xinhua
Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) – The Iraqi Ministry of Oil announced on Thursday that gas production will be increased during March, stressing that several projects are being implemented to reduce the associated gas burned in oil operations.
The Undersecretary for Gas Affairs, Ezzat Saber Ismail, stressed the importance of speeding up the implementation of associated gas investment projects, to follow the ministry’s plans in this regard, in line with the government program.
During his visit to Umm Qasr Port in Basra governorate, Ismail stated that the ministry is working to reduce the associated gas burned in oil operations through promising projects.
New quantities of gas up to 35 million cubic feet per day of raw gas will be produced in the next phase, including 30 million cubic feet of dry gas, 150 tons of liquid gas, and 600 barrels of condensate, after the installation of new equipment in the Zubair oilfield.
Ismail indicated that the ministry is keen to develop and rehabilitate the loading docks in Umm Qasr Port and to increase the export capacity.
The Director General of the South Gas Company (SGC), Hamza Abdel-Baqi, said that Iraq’s exports of liquid gas surplus reached an average of five million tons per shipment, where three shipments per month are exported, indicating that liquid gas is different from dry gas used to operate power plants.
During a tour of inspection of oil and gas facilities in southern Iraq, Ismail held a meeting with officials of the SGC and Basrah Gas Company (BGC), and was briefed about plans and programs developed to benefit from the associated gas in the southern Iraqi governorates.