Iraq Must Not Depend Only on Oil, says PM
Iraq’s Prime Minister, Nouri al-Maliki, has called on Iraqis not to depend on the country’s oil fortune only, reiterating the necessity to develop other sectors of the economy such as agriculture and tourism. “Iraq is the homeland of agriculture and tourism, and it is not right to keep on fully depending on its oil fortune,” […]
Iraq Entry Visa Quagmire Blamed on al-Maliki
We've reported in the recent past on the difficulties faced by foreign businesses in getting visas to work in Iraq. This week Iraq Oil Report has found that the reason for the delays is a decision by the office of the Prime Minister, Nouri al-Maliki, that applications for visas don’t just go through the Interior […]
Iraq Seeks Foreign Investment in Agriculture
Iraq is looking for foreign investment in its agriculture sector to help the country become self-sufficient in grain production by 2014, according to a report from Bloomberg. “We are offering incentives for farmers to speed up the process and we welcome foreign investors,” Agriculture Minister Ezzeddin al-Dawla [Izzuldin al-Doula] told reporters in Baghdad. Iraq wants […]
Oil Production - the Heavy Lifting is Underway
By Stan Harbison, Vice President of Research and Analysis at energy consultants EPRINC. The initial steps in new Iraqi production have been well received by the Oil Ministry, but now the heavy lifting is underway. A bevy of oil service contracts is in place. The most important work is taking place in the three large […]
Iran to Boost Iraq's Power Generation
Iran’s power development firm, Sunir [Sanir] is negotiating with the Iraqi side to expand the capacity of a plant it is constructing in Baghdad from 160 megawatts to 640 megawatts. Sunir, the power construction arm of Iran’s energy ministry, is the largest foreign contributor in Iraq’s rickety power infrastructure, according the the report from Azzaman. […]
ShaMaran Updates Oil Resources - Shares Up
Shares in ShaMaran Petroleum, the Kurdistan-focused oil development and exploration vehicle, rose by 10% on Wednesday as it reported on its oil resources. Please click here to download the full document.
UK/Iraq Visa Problems - Open Letter from Businessman
London Corporate Training, along with many other reputable organisations, has suffered for too long from the difficulty in obtaining UK entry visas for Iraqis. Not everyone can afford the time and money to fly to Jordan to apply for their visa – and then wait for up to three weeks to learn whether or not […]
Grain Board of Iraq Tenders for More Grain
The Grain Board of Iraq (Ministry of Trade) has announced a tender for the supply of 100,000 tonnes of wheat. The deadline for bids is 10:00 am Baghdad time on 26th March. Please click here to download the tender details.
Iraq and the new geopolitical calculus
By Tariq Abdell, Iraq’s political risk analyst, and Founder & CEO of Mesopotamia Insight. The opinions expressed here are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. In light of ongoing socio-political changes in MENA region, Iraq's massive protests, from Zakho to al-Faw, accentuate the political astuteness and […]
Baiji Refinery Output 'Highest This Year'
Production Baiji [Beiji, Bayji] refinery has reached 300,000 barrels per day, according to an official spokesman at the oil ministry. Essam Jehad told Aswat al-Iraq news agency that the refinery’s production was at its highest level this year. Output at the complex, which processes crude into diesel and gasoline, fell by 150,000 barrels after a […]
Gulf Keystone Shaikan-1 Update - Shares Down 6%
Gulf Keystone has announced the results of the previously reported well test at the Shaikan-2 Appraisal Well drilled approximately nine km to the south-east of the Shaikan-1 discovery well. Shares in Gulf Keystone closed the day down 6% on Tuesday. Shaikan-2 has achieved short term, indicated rates of 10,144 barrels of oil per day (bopd) […]
Half of Iraq's Water is Wasted
Fifty percent of water resources are wasted in Iraq, where six million people have no access to clean water, the United Nations said on Monday, the eve of World Water Day, reports AFP. "Iraq faces difficulties in meeting the target of 91 percent of households using a safe drinking water supply by 2015," due to […]