Iraq Signs MoU with Siemens, Shlumberger for Investment in Gas

Deputy Prime Minister for Energy Affairs and Oil Minister Hayan Abdul Ghani said the MoU aligns with the ministry’s plan to utilize associated gas for electricity production. Iraqi News Agency
Deputy Prime Minister for Energy Affairs and Oil Minister Hayan Abdul Ghani said the MoU aligns with the ministry’s plan to utilize associated gas for electricity production. Iraqi News Agency
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Iraq Signs MoU with Siemens, Shlumberger for Investment in Gas

Deputy Prime Minister for Energy Affairs and Oil Minister Hayan Abdul Ghani said the MoU aligns with the ministry’s plan to utilize associated gas for electricity production. Iraqi News Agency
Deputy Prime Minister for Energy Affairs and Oil Minister Hayan Abdul Ghani said the MoU aligns with the ministry’s plan to utilize associated gas for electricity production. Iraqi News Agency

Iraq on Sunday signed a memorandum of understanding with Siemens Energy and Schlumberger to tackle curb gas flaring and channel the captured resource to boost the country’s power generation capacity.

Deputy Prime Minister for Energy Affairs and Oil Minister Hayan Abdul Ghani said the MoU aligns with the ministry’s plan to utilize associated gas for electricity production. “This will provide productive and valuable energy to support power plants and the national grid,” he said at a press conference following the signing ceremony.

“The MoU paves the way for joint ventures with the technology giants,” Abdul Ghani said.

Praising the collaboration, German Embassy Chargé d'Affaires Maximilian Rach expressed his country’s support for Iraq’s efforts to increase its energy production and reduce carbon emissions. He expressed hope that the partnership would expand to other sectors.

Director of Siemens Energy Iraq Muhannad Al-Saffar stressed the MoU’s significance as a launchpad for long-term cooperation that will ultimately halt gas flaring and process the captured gas for power generation.

“This will contribute to achieving energy security, minimizing imports, and protecting the environment,” he said.

As for the Undersecretary for Gas Affairs at the Ministry of Oil, Izzat Saber, he said: “Cooperation with major international companies will bolster the electricity sector, optimize expenditures, and ensure environmental protection.”

Schlumberger Iraq General Manager Wissam Al-Azm highlighted the joint commitment to developing solutions and leveraging cutting-edge technologies for a sustainable energy future.



Exports from Libya's Hariga Oil Port Stop as Crude Supply Dries Up, Say Engineers

A general view of an oil terminal in Zueitina, west of Benghazi April 7, 2014. (Reuters)
A general view of an oil terminal in Zueitina, west of Benghazi April 7, 2014. (Reuters)
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Exports from Libya's Hariga Oil Port Stop as Crude Supply Dries Up, Say Engineers

A general view of an oil terminal in Zueitina, west of Benghazi April 7, 2014. (Reuters)
A general view of an oil terminal in Zueitina, west of Benghazi April 7, 2014. (Reuters)

The Libyan oil export port of Hariga has stopped operating due to insufficient crude supplies, two engineers at the terminal told Reuters on Saturday, as a standoff between rival political factions shuts most of the country's oilfields.

This week's flare-up in a dispute over control of the central bank threatens a new bout of instability in the North African country, a major oil producer that is split between eastern and western factions.

The eastern-based administration, which controls oilfields that account for almost all the country's production, are demanding western authorities back down over the replacement of the central bank governor - a key position in a state where control over oil revenue is the biggest prize for all factions.

Exports from Hariga stopped following the near-total shutdown of the Sarir oilfield, the port's main supplier, the engineers said.

Sarir normally produces about 209,000 barrels per day (bpd). Libya pumped about 1.18 million bpd in July in total.

Libya's National Oil Corporation NOC, which controls the country's oil resources, said on Friday the recent oilfield closures have caused the loss of approximately 63% of total oil production.