25/04/25
Kurdish gas plans may boost Iraqi oil exports
Dubai, 25 April (Argus) — Plans for a significant increase in natural gas
production in Iraq's semi-autonomous Kurdistan region over the next 18 months
could not only help address the country's chronic power shortages but also
enable Baghdad to boost its oil exports. The Pearl Petroleum consortium — which
comprises Abu Dhabi-listed Dana Gas, Sharjah-based Crescent Petroleum, Austria's
OMV, Hungary's Mol, and Germany's RWE — aims to increase gas production capacity
in Kurdistan to 825mn ft³/d by the end of next year, representing a more than
50pc increase from current output. The plan involves expanding the capacity of
the region's sole gas-producing field, Khor Mor, to 750mn ft³/d by the first
quarter of 2026, and adding up to 75mn ft³/d from the Chemchemal field by the
end of 2026. According to a source at Pearl, the development of Chemchemal is a
key priority for the companies, as it is believed to have reservoirs comparable
to those of Khor Mor. Under a 2019 agreement, the additional gas from the
expansion project will be sold to the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) for a
20-year term, which should help eliminate the region's frequent power outages,
particularly during peak summer months when demand for air conditioning is high.
The Kurdistan region will also be well-positioned to supply any excess gas to
the rest of Iraq. The federal government in Baghdad had previously approved a
plan to import approximately 100mn ft³/d of gas from Khor Mor to power a 620MW
plant in Kirkuk province, but no formal agreement has been signed to date. "The
federal ministry of electricity and Crescent Petroleum have already met to
finalise the agreement, which is ready for signature and awaiting
implementation," the Pearl source said. "The infrastructure needed to support
the sale of this quantity of gas is also in place." The plan has faced delays
partly because of Iran's long-standing influence over Iraq and the potential
impact such an agreement with the Kurdistan region could have on Baghdad's
reliance on Iranian gas and power. However, the revival of US president Donald
Trump's ‘maximum pressure' campaign against Tehran is forcing Baghdad to get
serious about seeking alternative energy sources, with the Kurdistan region
emerging as a viable option. Crude Export Boost Formalising the deal to import
Kurdish gas would allow Baghdad to allocate more oil for export, as it would
reduce the need to burn crude for power generation. Argus estimates that Iraq
typically burns between 50,000 b/d and 100,000 b/d of crude in its power
stations, depending on the season, and has recently increased imports of gasoil
for power generation. By the time Iraqi Kurdistan has fully ramped up its
additional gas capacity, Iraq's Opec+ crude output target will be 200,000 b/d
higher than it is today, based on the group's latest production plans. By Bachar
Halabi and Nader Itayim Send comments and request more information at
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