5 New Investment Opportunities in Iraq
By John Lee. The National Investment Commission (NIC) has announced five new investment opportunities in Iraq: Rehabilitation and Operation of Basrah Salt Plant Investment Opportunity in Rubber Industries Investment Opportunity in Cement Sector Rehabilitation of Aluminum Plant/ Ur State Company Rehabilitation and Modernization of Bentonite Activation Plant (Source: National Investment Commission)
Iraq signs Memorandum of Cooperation with Kuwaiti Company
By John Lee. Iraq's Oil Ministry has signed a a memorandum of cooperation with the Kuwait-based company Al-Arfaj, with a view to capturing and using associated gas from Iraq's oil fields. Oil Minister Jabar Ali al-Luaibi [Allibi, Luiebi] ending gas flaring and using the gas for petrochemical production was a priority for the Ministry. According […]
Baghdad extends Air Blockade over KRG-held Areas
By John Lee. Daily Sabah reports that Iraq has extended its ban on international flights to Iraqi Kurdistan by three months. The Iraq Civil Aviation Authority (ICAA) reportedly told Erbil International Airport (EIA) that the ban on international flights to and from Erbil and Sulaymaniyah airports has been extended to the end of May. (Source: […]
Oil Ministry Finalises Export Figures for January
By John Lee. Iraq’s Ministry of Oil has announced final oil exports for January of 108,190,068 barrels, giving an average for the month of 3.490 million barrels per day (bpd), a slight decrease from the 3.535 bpd exported in December. The exports were entirely from the southern terminals, with no exports registered from Kirkuk via Ceyhan. […]
New Oil Licensing Round Delayed by Elections
By John Lee. Platts reports that the final details of Iraq's latest oilfield licensing round will not be completed by the planned date of July, due to the upcoming elections. Abdul Mahdy Al-Ameedi, Director General of the Oil Ministry's Petroleum Contracts and Licensing Directorate (PCLD) told the CWC Iraq Petroleum Conference in Berlin: "The timing […]
Provincial Elections set for December
The Iraqi Council of Ministers has reportedly set the 22nd December 2018 as the date for the provincial elections to be held in Iraq. Previously, the provincial elections were scheduled for before the national elections; however, the fight against the IS as well as the ongoing displacement crisis prevented these from being held earlier. The […]
Video: Iraq lures Investors to Boost Oil, Gas Output
From Al Jazeera. Any opinions expressed are those of the authors, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. Iraq is hoping to lure international investors to help develop its oil and gas industry. With victory declared over fighters from Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS), […]
Iran-Iraq Oil Swap Delayed over Safety Concerns
By John Lee. A plan to export Iraqi crude oil by truck to Iran has reportedly been postponed due to security concerns. Under the oil-swap agreement, Iraq was to export 60,000 bpd of crude oil by truck from Kirkuk to Iran’s Kermanshah refinery (pictured), and ship back refined Iranian oil for southern Iraq. Hamid Hosseini, […]
Report: Shaping Iraq's Oil and Gas Future
By John Lee. A new report for the Atlantic Council argues that gas, being less politically fraught than oil, has the potential to serve as a key area of cooperation between Baghdad and Erbil and could help improve the reliability of electricity supply. In Shaping Iraq's Oil and Gas Future, Ellen Scholl recommends that: Baghdad […]
Iraq Falls in Transparency Ranking
By John Lee. Transparency International has said that Iraq's ranking has fallen three places its global Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI). From a total of 180 countries, Iraq came in at number 169; last year’s position was 166 out of 176 countries. This result puts it behind countries such as Turkmenistan, Angola and Eritrea, and just […]
Iraq Denies Deal to buy Russian S-400 Missiles
The Iraqi government has denied concluding any deal with Russia to supply Baghdad with S-400 anti-aircraft missiles, but confirming Iraq’s right to import weaponry from any country in the world. “So far, Iraq has not concluded any deal with Russia to import the S-400 air defence system" government spokesman Saad al-Hadithi stated on February 26. […]
Fulbright Foreign Student Program for 2019-2021
The U.S. Embassy in Baghdad has announced the opening of the Fulbright Foreign Student Program competition for 2019-2021. This academic exchange program is funded by the U.S. Department of State and was initiated by U.S. Senator William J. Fulbright in 1946 to increase international educational exchange between Americans and citizens of more than 150 countries […]