Iraqi delegations to discuss gas deals with Qatar, Turkmenistan
A natural gas plant in Ras Laffan, Qatar. Photo: AP
Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) – The Iraqi Ministry of Electricity confirmed on Tuesday that a joint committee has been formed to discuss importing gas from Qatar and Turkmenistan, according to the Iraqi News Agency (INA).
The Iraqi Minister of Electricity, Ziyad Ali Fadel, told INA that the government made decisions and formed a committee, including officials from the Ministry of Oil, headed by the Undersecretary of the Ministry of Electricity for Production Affairs, and the advisors of the Ministry of Electricity, to arrange gas deals with Qatar and Turkmenistan.
Fadel elaborated that a delegation from the committee will visit Turkmenistan to discuss possible deals to import gas, and another delegation will visit Qatar to discuss providing Iraq with liquefied gas through one of the Iraqi ports.
INA mentioned that the gas Iraq imports is used to operate power plants distributed in central and southern Iraq, which collectively generate around 7,000 megawatts per day.
The Minister of Electricity explained last month that the reason for the decrease in electricity supply is the suspension of gas imports from Iran, which led to the loss of 6,000 megawatts power plants were able to generate if the required fuel was available.
The Iraqi Prime Minister, Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani, urged the government in July to find alternatives to gas imports, in reference to Iranian gas, as the country is facing problems providing the required fuel for power plants to generate electricity, according to a statement issued by the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO).
Al-Sudani, during a meeting with Iraqi officials in the energy sector, confirmed that the current government took measures to reach an electric power production of 26,000 megawatts, which is the highest in Iraq’s history, but maintaining this level was subject to the continuation of Iranian gas supplies.