Thamir Al-Ghadhban

Thamir al-Ghadhban, former Iraqi Minister of Oil and Chairman of the Advisory Commission at the Prime Minister’s office, gives his take on the latest developments in Iraq’s oil sector and analyses future trends in an interview in Baghdad with Ruba Husari. Q: How do you expect a new government following the March 7 legislative elections to deal with the signed contracts? Is there a risk that the legality of those…

Iraq: Shell’s Entry Plan

2 May 2008 Royal Dutch Shell has never been shy when considering Iraq’s huge potential. Even when the country was under UN sanctions, company officials quietly traveled to and from Baghdad, fostering relations with oil ministry officials. Since the US-led invasion of 2003, it has pursued opportunities more aggressively, with a three-pronged strategy targeting the upstream in the north and south, and the gas sector. Now, Shell is seeking to…

Federalism or Bust

15 September 2006 The debate over Iraqi devolution, which many regard as synonymous with carving the country up into autonomous mini states, has started. The principle was enshrined in the Iraqi constitution adopted last year. But as the stuttering launch of the parliamentary debate underlines, it’s not just the local drivers of the proposal — mainly Shiite groupings and, to a lesser extent, Kurds — whose interests are involved, regional…

Iraq Targets Pipelines, LNG for Natural Gas Development

24 February 2003 Having missed the boat on sales of natural gas by pipeline to Turkey, despite signing a memorandum of understanding in 1996, Iraqi officials are now drawing up plans to enter the broader international gas market. These include proposals to join a regional gas pipeline network, as well as construction of a liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal in southern Iraq. Boosting Iraq’s natural gas reserves and export capabilities…