Tag Archives | Basra News

The latest news from Basra – renovation, building, investment & more – brought to you by Iraq Business News

MHPS to Refurbish Power Station in Basra

Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems (MHPS) has received an order from the Ministry of Electricity (MOE) of Iraq for refurbishment of Unit 4 (output: 200 megawatts) at the Hartha Thermal Power Station. The refurbishment work, scheduled for completion in May 2017, requires large-scale replacement of core components of the plant's seriously degraded power generation facilities. The […]

Tanker Backlog Builds at Basra Port

By John Lee. A backlog of over 30 oil tankers, two-thirds of them supertankers (VLCC), has built up outside Basra post, and shippers face delays of up to three weeks because of bad weather and possible oil quality issues, according to a report from Reuters. Shipping industry sources said the problems could delay or limit […]

Attock Cement gets Green Light

By John Lee. Pakistan's Econo­mic Coordination Commit­tee (ECC) has approved a proposal to allow Attock Cement Pakistan Limited (ACPL) to transfer $24 million (29 trillion Iraqi dinars) to Iraq for the construction of a cement grinding unit in Basra. The investment will starting this month, with the company intending to hire 50 percent of its labour […]

Japan Agrees Loan for Power Plant Refit

By John Lee. The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) has agreed a loan for the rehabilitation of the fourth unit at the Al Hartha Thermal Power Plant in Basra; the amount of the loan as not been disclosed. The plant was originally constructed by a Japanese company in the late 1970s, and consists of four […]

Iraq to Boost Oil Storage

By John Lee. Iraq's Deputy Oil Minister, Fayadh Al-Nema [Fayyad Al-Nima], has opened three new oil storage tanks near Basra, to help cope with the export bottlenecks caused by bad weather and to accommodate rising production. The new facility will bring crude-storage capacity from 9.5 million to 10.5 million barrels. The minister told reports that another four to […]

Basra Gateway Terminal Up and Running

By John Lee. Basra Gateway Terminal (BGT) announced on Thursday that its operations at the Port of Umm Qasr are now fully operational. BGT chief executive Phillip Marsham said in a statement: “We are attracting plenty of interest from container lines and have enjoyed a good pace of cargo buildup since we opened the doors […]

Budget Deficit Scuppers Gulf Cup Plans

By John Lee. Kuwait will host the 23rd soccer Gulf Cup in early 2016, after Iraq declined to host the tournament due to a deficit in the State budget. According to Arab News, Iraq will instead bid to host the 24th edition of the Cup. Iraq had been due to host the event in Basra. […]

Shell Signs $11bn Petrochemical Deal

By John Lee. Shell has reportedly signed a deal with Iraq worth $11 billion (12.8 trillion Iraqi dinars) to build a petrochemicals plant in Basra. On Wednesday, Industry Minister Nasser al-Esawi [Nasser al-Issawi] told a press conference that the Nibras complex would make Iraq the largest petrochemical producer in the Middle East. The news comes […]

Basra Officials Dine with IBBC Members

His Excellency the Governor of Basra, Dr Majid Al-Nasrawi, together with representatives of the Basra Provincial Council, Mr Aqeel Al Khalidi, Mr Hayder Al Saadi, Mr Jabbar Al Saadi, and Mr Munther, joined the Chairman of the Iraq Britain Business Council (IBBC), Baroness Emma Nicholson, in a dinner at the new Shams Hotel on the […]

A Basra Lunch, with Locally Sourced Truffles?

By John Lee. As long term observers of events in Iraq, the team at Iraq Business News thought we might have seen just about every unexpected story from a nation that continues to surprise. We'd heard of the popularity of the Japanese comic character Hello Kitty in Iraq or the trend among some young Iraqis for playing […]