Vehicles queue for fuel in Iraq
Iraq tries again in the downstream
Oft-promised upgrades and greenfield facilities are again making putative progress
Iraq’s vast hydrocarbons wealth and its ability to satisfy the energy needs of its citizens has long been a politically toxic disconnect. The severe power cuts that once again brought long-suffering residents of oil-rich Basra onto the streets in late June have regularly captured the headlines. But a prolonged deficit in fuel provision is another flashpoint. Successive governments have failed to deliver on repeated promises to expand and upgrade the creaking refining sector. Baghdad has launched, relaunched and cancelled sufficient refining schemes—while setting and missing a string of capacity targets—over the past 15 years as to have squandered almost any credibility when pronouncing publ
Also in this section
24 January 2025
Domestic companies in Nigeria and other African jurisdictions are buying assets from existing majors they view as more likely to deliver production upside under their stewardship
23 January 2025
The end of transit, though widely anticipated, leaves Europe paying a third more for gas than a year ago and greatly exposed to supply shocks
23 January 2025
The country’s government and E&P companies are leaving no stone unturned in their quest to increase domestic crude output as BP–ONGC tie-up leads the way
22 January 2025
The return of Donald Trump gives further evidence of ‘big oil’ as an investable asset, with the only question being whether anyone is really surprised
