Iraq Undecided on Basra Port Maintenance
By John Lee. Reuters reports that Iraq is still undecided about whether to carry out full maintenance on its Basra oil export terminals in September. According to the report this has created even more uncertainty for an oil market already worried about disruption in Libya and Egyptian unrest. Despite a report in July to the […]
GKP Rises on Takeover Rumours
By John Lee. Shares in Gulf Keystone Petroleum (GKP) have gained around 10 percent this week on rumours of a takeover. Bloomberg reports that, as the world’s biggest oil companies look for untapped fields, the company is sitting on a giant oil field in Iraqi Kurdistan that wouldn’t look out of place in a major’s […]
Reliance Industries Exploring Investment Opportunities in Iraq
By John Lee. Reliance Industries Chairman, Mukesh Ambani (pictured), has told reporters that his company is exploring investment opportunities in Iraq. "We are evaluating all opportunities in the Iraqi oil and gas sector. But so far, nothing has been finalised and we will take a call on this -- both the downstream and upstream assets […]
Statement from US-Iraq Joint Coordination Cmte
The Governments of the Republic of Iraq and the United States of America reaffirmed their strategic partnership during a meeting of the Political and Diplomatic Joint Coordination Committee (JCC) on August 15, in Washington, DC. This meeting, held at the Department of State, was co-chaired by Secretary Kerry and Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari. This […]
Weekly Security Update 07 - 14 August 2013
By Tom Walker, Director, Assaye Risk COUNTRY OVERVIEW The prevailing situation in Iraq remains febrile and wrought with tension and violence amidst a series of devastating car bombings and shootings this week, which has resulted in many hundreds being killed, predominantly in the Shia neighborhoods in Baghdad during the end of Ramadan celebrations. In line […]
When Will the Blackouts End?
Iraq's Ministry of Electricity has just promised that shortages will be eliminated by the end of the year. Readers of Iraq Business News will remember a previous commitment, made in strident terms just four months ago, to end blackouts by the end of October. Ministry spokesperson Musaib Mudaris claims the country now produces around 11,000 […]
OMV Shifts Focus to Iraq Exploration
By John Lee. Austrian oil and gas company OMV has said that second-quarter profit dropped 29 percent as production fell in Libya and its gas-trading unit lost money, according to Bloomberg. Chief Executive Officer Gerhard Roiss (pictured) is shifting OMV’s focus to exploration and production, including in Iraqi Kurdistan, while selling assets like gas stations […]
Govt Allocates $14bn for Electricity
By John Lee. The Ministry of Electricity’s 2013 budget has soared to $14 billion to help it end power outages in the country, reports Azzaman. But the ministry’s spokesperson Musaib Mudaris said the blackouts will continue until the end of the year, by which time output will reach 13,000 megawatts, enough to meet the country’s […]
$21m to Develop Roads and Bridges
By John Lee. The Iraqi Ministry of Housing and Reconstruction on Tuesday has announced a 25-billion-dinar ($21.5-million) plan to develop roads and bridges across the country. According to a report from Al-Shorfa, the plan involves building three bridges on the Euphrates in western Iraq and one in Kirkuk province. The ministry also plans to renovate […]
Iraqi Power Plants Use 60m L/Day Fuel
By John Lee. Iraqi power stations are using nearly 60 million liters of fuel per day, according to a report from Azzaman. The Oil Ministry issued the statistics in response to complaints by the Ministry of Electricity, which has repeatedly blamed lack of fuel for power shortages. Last month Iraq signed a multi-billion deal with […]
Petrel Jumps on Iraq Acquisition
By John Lee. Shares in Irish-based explorer Petrel Resources were up as much as 20 percent in early trading on Wednesday following the announcement that the company has agreed to acquire a 20 percent shareholding in Amira Hydrocarbons Wasit B.V. ("Amira"), which is the holder of a 25 per cent carried interest in certain oil […]
Zebari to Discuss Helicopter Deal in US
By John Lee. Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari will meet with Secretary of State John Kerry on Thursday; the Daily Beast speculates that among his top requests will be for the White House to overcome objections in Congress to selling his country advanced Apache helicopters the Iraqis say they need to fight terrorists within their borders. […]