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.



US Job Growth Surges in September, Unemployment Rate Falls to 4.1%

A woman enters a store next to a sign advertising job openings at Times Square in New York City, New York, US, August 6, 2021. REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz/File Photo
A woman enters a store next to a sign advertising job openings at Times Square in New York City, New York, US, August 6, 2021. REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz/File Photo
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US Job Growth Surges in September, Unemployment Rate Falls to 4.1%

A woman enters a store next to a sign advertising job openings at Times Square in New York City, New York, US, August 6, 2021. REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz/File Photo
A woman enters a store next to a sign advertising job openings at Times Square in New York City, New York, US, August 6, 2021. REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz/File Photo

US job growth accelerated in September and the unemployment slipped to 4.1%, further reducing the need for the Federal Reserve to maintain large interest rate cuts at its remaining two meetings this year.
Nonfarm payrolls increased by 254,000 jobs last month after rising by an upwardly revised 159,000 in August, the Labor Department's Bureau of Labor Statistics said in its closely watched employment report on Friday.
Economists polled by Reuters had forecast payrolls rising by 140,000 positions after advancing by a previously reported 142,000 in August.
The initial payrolls count for August has typically been revised higher over the past decade. Estimates for September's job gains ranged from 70,000 to 220,000.
The US labor market slowdown is being driven by tepid hiring against the backdrop of increased labor supply stemming mostly from a rise in immigration. Layoffs have remained low, which is underpinning the economy through solid consumer spending.
Average hourly earnings rose 0.4% after gaining 0.5% in August. Wages increased 4% year-on-year after climbing 3.9% in August.
The US unemployment rate dropped from 4.2% in August. It has jumped from 3.4% in April 2023, in part boosted by the 16-24 age cohort and rise in temporary layoffs during the annual automobile plant shutdowns in July.
The US Federal Reserve's policy setting committee kicked off its policy easing cycle with an unusually large half-percentage-point rate cut last month and Fed Chair Jerome Powell emphasized growing concerns over the health of the labor market.
While the labor market has taken a step back, annual benchmark revisions to national accounts data last week showed the economy in a much better shape than previously estimated, with upgrades to growth, income, savings and corporate profits.
This improved economic backdrop was acknowledged by Powell this week when he pushed back against investors' expectations for another half-percentage-point rate cut in November, saying “this is not a committee that feels like it is in a hurry to cut rates quickly.”
The Fed hiked rates by 525 basis points in 2022 and 2023, and delivered its first rate cut since 2020 last month. Its policy rate is currently set in the 4.75%-5.00% band.
Early on Friday, financial markets saw a roughly 71.5% chance of a quarter-point rate reduction in November, CME's FedWatch tool showed. The odds of a 50 basis points cut were around 28.5%.