Iraq Energy Outlook

A capacity of 6 million b/d though achievable but is not the answer to the state requirements of revenue, while 12 million b/d can’t be maintained for a long time and requires higher investment within a short number of years and involves a high risk if the markets cannot absorb it. Committing huge investments to end up with an idle capacity is not an ideal scenario for Iraq. In my…

What’s Next for Iraq’s Oil & Gas Industry

As the IOCs are moving now towards fulfilling the requirements of the rehabilitation and preliminary development plans of the first phase of the contracts of the mega projects starting to prepare enhanced and final development plans for the second phase and ramping up of production towards the PPTs, many discussions arose and opinions were expressed about the need, or otherwise, for revising the PPTs downwards, increasing the time allowed to…

Pipelines Politics

Is Iraq’s foreign policy at the regional and international levels dictated by its position as an oil producer and exporter or is Iraq managing its resources in function of what its alliances and relationships allows it to do? Judging by the past, oil has mostly been a victim of the politics of the regime. This does not only apply to the last one, but goes back as far as the…