GKP "Temporarily Shuts-In Production" at Shaikan
By John Lee. Gulf Keystone Petroleum (GKP) has said it has "temporarily shut-in production" at its Shaikan field in Iraqi Kurdistan. In a statement this morning (Wednesday), the company said: "Gulf Keystone has noted reports over the past two days of explosions at a number of oil fields in the vicinity of the Company's Shaikan […]
Explosions at Tawke; Production Temporarily Suspended
By John Lee. DNO, the operator of the Tawke field in Iraqi Kurdistan, reported three explosions this morning (Wednesday). In a statement, the company said: "DNO ASA, the Norwegian oil and gas operator, reports that operations at its Tawke license in the Kurdistan region of Iraq have been temporarily suspended following three explosions early this […]
HKN Energy to Develop Iraq's Hamrin Oil Field
By John Lee. The Ministry of Oil has signed an agreement in principle with HKN Energy to develop the Hamrin field in northern Iraq. The agreement, signed on Tuesday between North Oil Company (NOC) and the US-based company aims to increase the field's output to 60,000 barrels per day, up from the current 20,000-25,000 bpd, […]
GE-Led Consortium Wins 750MW Mansuriya Power Contract
By John Lee. GE Verona, in consortium with GE Global, General Electric Global Services, Ontex Trading, and Calik Enerji, has been awarded the contract for the expansion of the Mansuriya gas power plant. The project involves adding two gas turbines and a combined-cycle system, with a total capacity of 750 megawatts (MW). The Iraqi Cabinet […]
IMF Explains Iraq's Exchange Rate Arrangement
By John Lee. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has issued a brief explainer on Iraq's exchange rate arrangement. As part of a follow-up to last week's report on the state of the Iraqi economy, the IMF clarified as follows: "Exchange Rate Arrangement "Iraq's de jure and de facto exchange rate arrangements are classified as a […]
Iraqi Ports Record Strong Growth in Cargo
By John Lee. The General Company for Ports of Iraq (GCPI) has reported a significant rise in maritime cargo throughput during the first half of 2025, with over 1,500 ships received across four major commercial ports, according to Director General Dr. Farhan Al-Fartousi. A total of 1,522 vessels docked at Umm Qasr North, Umm Qasr […]
Khurmala Oil Field Targeted by Drone Attack
By John Lee. The Khurmala oil field, located in the Makhmour district west of Erbil province, was struck by two unidentified drones at approximately 8:30 PM on Monday, 14 July 2025. According to the Joint Operations Command's Security Media Cell, there were no human casualties, with the damage limited to material losses. Authorities have initiated […]
Explosion at Kurdistan's Sarsang Field
By John Lee. HKN Energy has confirmed an explosion occurred early on Tuesday morning at one of its production facilities in the Sarsang field, located in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. The incident took place at approximately 7:00 AM local time on 15 July 2025. According to the company, all personnel have been safely accounted […]
APIKUR Welcomes Intensified Talks to Resume Oil Exports
By John Lee. The Association of the Petroleum Industry of Kurdistan (APIKUR) has welcomed it described as renewed and intensified negotiations between the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) and the Government of Iraq (GoI) aimed at resuming oil exports via the Iraq-Türkiye Pipeline (ITP). The statement follows a high-level meeting held on 12th July 2025 between […]
Iraq sees Surge in Internet Penetration
By John Lee. The Iraqi Ministry of Communications has announced internet penetration reaching 82.9 percent of the population by the end of 2024, up from just 44.3 percent in 2019, according to official data from the International Telecommunication Union (ITU). Key components of the Ministry's strategy include the rapid expansion of the FTTH (Fibre to […]
MENA Fintech Association Launches Iraq Chapter
By John Lee. The MENA Fintech Association (MFTA) has launched its Iraq Chapter, according to a report from Arqam. It says it has appointed Iraqi-Canadian entrepreneur Bahaa Abdul Hadi, co-founder of International Smart Card (ISC) and architect of Iraq's Qi Card biometric payment solution, as the Chairperson. "The future of Iraq is digital, and fintech […]
PM Emphasises Citizen-Centric Design for New Cities
By John Lee. Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani has underscored the importance of ensuring that new residential cities meet the needs of citizens, during a site visit to the under-construction Al-Jawahiri City (pictured), west of Baghdad. The Prime Minister inspected the project, launched in December 2023, as part of his government's housing initiative. He […]