The Basra Provincial Council has allocated an additional ID300 billion [$250m] to rehabilitate the power network in Basra. “This is a temporary and quick solution for the power problem in Basra,” the council’s head told Aswat al-Iraq news agency on Wednesday. He noted that agreements have been obtained to construct four new gas-driven power stations […]
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As the new Iraqi parliament remained deadlocked on the formation of a new government, frustrated Iraqis took to the summer streets in protest at the government's failure to provide an adequate and reliable supply of electricity. With peak temperatures of nearly 50C (120F), and many Iraqis still getting less than six hours of electricity per […]
Is Iraq Reverting to Square One?
By Tariq Abdell, Founder & Chairman, Mesopotamia Insight. Iraq's recent upsurge of violence, fueled by political impasse and regional geopolitics - Notably Iran's Mullacracy suicidal ambitions, could easily undermine its fragile democracy and, thus, plunging the country into a vicious downward spiral. The ongoing ignominious political ploys are creating a toxic environment compelling the majority […]
Oil Firms ‘plough ahead’ and Ignore Politics to Invest in Iraq’s South
Rumaila, the workhorse of Iraq’s oil industry and its largest producing oilfield, is buzzing with activity as executives, engineers and drillers begin a massive overhaul to nearly triple its million barrels per day output.At the airport in Basra, capital of southern Iraq, officials struggle to process the unprecedented numbers arriving to join the country’s nascent […]
Tags: Investment
Local Iraqis Oppose New Oil Deals
In June 2010 Iraq Oil Report had two stories about locals in southern Iraq who opposed the government’s new oil deals.
Italy and ENI to finance sports facilities in Iraq
Italy's government and energy company ENI said on Friday they are setting aside a total of one million Euros (1.2 million dollars) to finance sports development projects in Iraq.
Iraq Using Alternative Energy Sources to Boost Production
It is interesting to see Iraq is also using alternative energy sources in its goal of boosting production, although Cleary production from such sources is dwarfed by output from the oil sector. As the UN United Nations Environment Programme reported last year, investment in various types of sustainable energy, including solar power, continues to grow, […]
New Iraqi Parliament Meets for First Time
Iraq's new parliament met on Monday for the first time since elections were held on 7th March. According to Voice of America, “the session adjourned quickly, because parliament members had not ironed out the main items on the agenda”. The session is still technically 'open', but suspended indefinitely, so as not to trigger a constitutional […]
Tags: Election
Baghdad Trade and Catalogue Show, 20th June 2010
The Show taking place on the 20th of June will be opened by Iraq’s Deputy Prime Minister and has been organised with the support of the US Commercial Service and Baghdad Provincial Reconstruction Team.
Fears of renewed central control
“The main issue to be addressed now is that of electricity supply. Another very important one is the development of the Iraqi infrastructure," said Majid al-Souri, an Iraqi economist.
Rebuilding Iraq: The century's deal
"Iraq: the prize that outweighs all risks," was chosen as a title for a paper presented at a conference on doing business in Iraq that was held in Dubai recently. The situation in Iraq has changed a lot since the 2003 war.
Iraq - An Overview
My view is that the Iraqi Government has been a great deal more astute than many of the Governments advising them - 20:20 hindsight is wonderful – but we have come a long way since the world announced last years licence round as a flop
Tags: upper quartile