Energy

New SOMO director named as Iraq reshuffles oil sector leadership

Ali Nazar al-Shatari will be Iraq's new head of oil marketing as the Sudani government makes changes across several top oil posts.

SOMO Deputy Director General and Head of Crude Ali Nazar al-Shatari (right), at the Nov. 30, 2016, OPEC meeting in Vienna with then-Iraqi Oil Minister Jabbar Ali al-Luiebi (center), and then-SOMO Director General Falah Alamri (left). (Source: OPEC Media Office)

Sep 30, 2023

Iraq presses claim to enforce arbitration award against Turkey

In a U.S. legal filing, Iraq contested Turkey's effort to flip the award in its own favor, as the two sides still appear deadlocked over a restart of Iraq’s northern exports.

Sep 27, 2023

Loans begin to flow, but KRG faces uphill battle for financial security

Baghdad has begun implementing a three-month deal to enable payments for Kurdistan's civil servants, prompting political backlash.

Sep 23, 2023

Technical talks signal potential progress on Iraq-Turkey Pipeline

Recent meetings show renewed efforts to set terms for reopening the export pipeline, but top-level political approval is hardly assured.

Sep 21, 2023

Q&A: Jumaha Sheyah al-Maliki, Director of Water Resources in Basra

Iraq's natural waterways have little spare supply for oil fields that need more water injection to sustain reservoir pressure and hit higher production targets.

Sep 20, 2023

August production surges as KRG fields partially revive

Fields in Kurdistan are raising production and selling into the local market, as output increases despite the ongoing northern pipeline closure.

Sep 19, 2023

Baghdad approves 3-month stop-gap funding for KRG

Three monthly loans of $538 million promise temporary relief to pay civil servant salaries, but unresolved questions loom for Kurdistan's oil industry.

Sep 15, 2023

Oil veterans bring energy expertise to Prime Minister’s Office

Fayadh Nema and Falah Alamri have deep relationships in the Oil Ministry and decades of experience with hot-button energy issues.

Sep 12, 2023

Budget stalemate threatens Kurdistan’s solvency and stability

Baghdad takes a hard line against budget transfers to KRG as negotiations falter, prompting civil servant strikes and imminent protests.

Sep 9, 2023

Iraq-Turkey negotiations highlight big barriers to northern pipeline restart

High-level diplomacy has failed to make progress, and a recent U.S. legal filing from Turkey suggests a new phase of adversarial action.

Sep 7, 2023

Iraqi exports hold above 3.4 million bpd in August

Iraq is pushing the limits of its outdated southern export infrastructure as a dispute with Turkey is keeping the northern pipeline system offline.