Latest news with #NationalIranianGasCompany
Shafaq News
06-03-2025
- Business
- Shafaq News
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.
Shafaq News
01-03-2025
- Business
- Shafaq News
Tehran: Iraq expected to obtain temporary permits for Iranian gas
Shafaq News/ Iraq is expected to receive temporary permits to import Iranian gas after the US revoked its exemption for these imports, an Iranian official announced on Saturday. Saeid Tavakoli, the Deputy Oil Minister and Head of National Iranian Gas Company (NIGC,) said, "Iraq always receives temporary permits to import Iranian gas so it can secure its supply," according to Iran's semi-official Mehr News Agency. "We assume an exception will be granted again." In February, US President Donald Trump revoked Iraq's exemption to import gas from Iran as part of a new wave of sanctions aimed at strengthening the "Maximum Pressure" campaign on Tehran. In response, the Iraqi government, which has long relied on Iranian gas to address its electricity crisis, has begun exploring the possibility of importing gas from Qatar and Algeria to meet its needs.
