Iraqi lawmaker: Domestic gas production years away
Shafaq News/ Iraq has no immediate alternative to Iranian gas for powering its electricity plants, and transitioning to domestic production will take more than two years, a member of the parliamentary Oil and Gas Committee said on Thursday.
"There are several power plants that rely primarily on Iranian gas, and any sudden disruption or halt in supply would reduce electricity availability in Baghdad and other provinces," lawmaker Ali Saadoun al-Lami told Shafaq News.
He stressed that shifting to local gas production instead of imports from Iran would take "at least two years or more." Meanwhile, securing alternative gas or electricity supplies from other countries would take months to implement. "Iraq does not currently have any new alternatives," al-Lami added.
Iraq depends on Iranian gas for 40-60% of its electricity generation, despite US sanctions on Tehran, which have complicated payment mechanisms for energy imports.
Earlier, Saeid Tavakoli, Iran's Deputy Oil Minister and head of the National Iranian Gas Company (NIGC), revealed that Baghdad would receive another exemption from Washington to continue importing gas from Iran.
While Iraq has been working to increase domestic gas production, progress has been hindered by infrastructure limitations and investment delays. The country is now exploring natural gas imports from Qatar and Algeria, though an agreement with Turkmenistan remains unfeasible, as the gas would need to transit through Iran.
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