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Rudaw Net
07-03-2025
- Business
- Rudaw Net
Iraq faces energy crunch as US ends waiver for Iranian gas imports
Also in Iraq Oil and gas law will not be passed this legislative term: Iraqi MP Kurdish farmers in Salahaddin appeal court ruling that gave land to Arabs Iraq announces 1,000 MW solar power plant in Basra Iraq prepares to host Arab League 34th summit A+ A- ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Baghdad is hoping to avoid an electricity crisis when it is no longer able to import energy from Iran after a United States sanctions waiver expires. It is looking to other gas sources and boosting the production of renewable energy, the spokesperson for Iraq's ministry of electricity told Rudaw on Friday. 'The official telegram regarding the cancellation of the waivers and the halt of Iranian gas and electricity imports has not yet been received by the ministry,' said Ahmed Musa. A 120-day sanctions waiver, issued by the former US President Joe Biden to allow Iraq to import Iranian gas, will expire on March 8, 2025. Biden's successor, Donald Trump, announced in early February that he would not renew the waiver as part of his "maximum pressure" campaign against Iran. Iraq is largely dependent on its energy imports from Iran. 'We are working closely with the ministry of oil to compensate the affected plants with alternative fuel and ensure that there is no electricity crisis,' Musa said. 'Additionally, we are completing steam power plants that run on locally sourced fuel,' he said adding that 'Iraq's domestic gas production is not enough to meet demand' and they are in 'urgent need' to import gas 'until local production is fully developed.' Musa said it will take three years for domestic gas sources to be able to fully support power stations, according to the Ministry of Oil. He added that Iraq is working to stop flaring associated gas, with 70% already utilized, while also rehabilitating national gas fields. The spokesperson also said that Iraq is constructing a 1,000-megawatt solar project in Basra with France's TotalEnergies, has agreements with Saudi Arabia's ACWA Power for a 1,000-megawatt plant in Najaf, and is close to a deal with the UAE's Masdar for another 1,000 megawatts across four provinces. Increasing electricity imports from Jordan and Turkey is another coping strategy that Iraq might utilize to compensate for the shortage in Iranian gas, according to Musa, who underscored that they are in the process of building transmission lines with the Gulf states. Turkmenistan is another option. 'If imported gas is cut off, we will try to activate the agreement signed with Turkmenistan to import 20 million cubic meters of gas', Musa said, adding that the potential gas supplies from Turkmenistan might cover approximately half of the gas currently supplied by Iran.
Rudaw Net
07-03-2025
- Business
- Rudaw Net
Oil and gas law will not be passed this legislative term: Iraqi MP
Also in Iraq Kurdish farmers in Salahaddin appeal court ruling that gave land to Arabs Iraq announces 1,000 MW solar power plant in Basra Iraq prepares to host Arab League 34th summit Iraq says may export Basra oil through Kurdistan Region A+ A- ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - A member of the Iraqi parliament on Friday ruled out passage of the long-delayed oil and gas law during the current parliamentary term, citing disputes between the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) and the federal government over natural resource management. 'The oil and gas law has been a long-standing demand since 2007,' Basim Naghmish al-Gharibawi, a member of the parliament's oil and gas committee, told state media. 'However, the legislative attempts to pass the law have failed due to political disputes and lack of agreement with the Kurdistan Region.' The Oil and Gas Law, which would regulate development and management of the country's oil fields, has been under discussion since 2007. Repeated attempts to pass it have failed. When independently signing contracts with international oil companies, the KRG relied on a law enacted by its parliament and argued that the constitution allowed it. Baghdad, however, has insisted that it has an exclusive jurisdiction over the management of oil contracts and exports and demands all oil revenues be deposited in the federal treasury. "The most prominent point of contention between Baghdad and Erbil concerns oil resources and the Kurdistan Region's compliance with rulings issued by the Federal Supreme Court and the international [arbitration] court [in Paris]," Gharibawi added, noting that "this law is considered one of the laws that complement the constitution." In February 2022, the Federal Supreme Court ruled that the Kurdistan Region's oil law was unconstitutional, declaring that all oil contracts signed by the KRG should be annulled and exports must be handed over to Baghdad. The KRG rejected the ruling and continued its independent oil operations until March 2023 when the exports through Turkey's Ceyhan port were halted due a ruling from a Paris-based international arbitration court that favored Baghdad in a case against Turkey. In 2023, two draft versions of the law were proposed - one by the federal government and one by the KRG - but negotiations have stalled over control mechanisms, revenue-sharing terms, and regional representation in federal decision-making bodies. 'Joint committees were formed to advance negotiations between both sides,' Gharibawi noted, adding that the committees have not been successful in reaching a political settlement, hence making the passage of the oil and gas law during this legislative term 'unlikely.'
