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)

Apr 14, 2022

Q&A: Ali Jassim Hammoud, Director General of the Missan Oil Company

The second largest state oil firm is targeting an increase in oil production to 1 million bpd through expansion of existing facilities and developing new fields in Missan province.

Apr 12, 2022

Attack hits near Kurdistan’s export pipeline

An explosion Sunday night in the vicinity of a pumping station highlights potential vulnerabilities of key energy infrastructure.

Apr 7, 2022

Rocket attack misses Kurdistan refinery complex but raises security concerns

Just three weeks after Iranian ballistic missiles destroyed the house of the head of KAR Group, a rocket attack appeared to target the company's refinery complex.

Apr 7, 2022

Q&A: Rafeeq Hashem al-Salihi, MP from Basra and member of the Fatah Alliance

A politician, tribal sheikh, and paramilitary leader, Salihi says Basra deserves a larger portion of federal oil revenue and increased support for its agriculture sector.

Apr 5, 2022

Record oil revenues near $11 billion in March

Revenues surged due to spiking global prices, but exports dipped as infrastructure delays threaten to constrain oil sales going forward.

Apr 1, 2022

Q&A: Ihsan Ismaael, Oil Minister and President of INOC

Iraq's top oil leader discusses implementation of a mega-deal with TotalEnergies, ExxonMobil's exit, and the aftermath of a landmark court ruling on Kurdistan's oil sector.

Mar 31, 2022

Baghdad outlines plan for takeover of Kurdistan oil sector

To implement a landmark Federal Supreme Court decision, the Oil Ministry proposes steps to begin federal oversight of KRG oil and gas operations. Kurdish leaders remain defiant.

Mar 28, 2022

Iraq gets renewed 120-day U.S. waiver for Iranian energy imports

After years of failure to develop sufficient domestic energy supplies, Iraq still depends on unreliable imports from Iran that require special exemptions from U.S. sanctions.

Mar 23, 2022

Iraq’s oil production up 200,000 bpd in February

Iraq remains ready to expand production pending OPEC-plus allowances and ongoing field maintenance.

Mar 21, 2022

Export bottlenecks limit Iraq’s oil production potential

As OPEC-plus quotas lift, decades of infrastructure neglect have left Iraq poorly positioned to take advantage of prolific oil fields, high prices, and a market desperate for more crude.