Energy

U.S. sanctions on Lukoil threaten Iraq oil production drop

There is no backup plan for operating the 480,000 bpd West Qurna-2 field, with some Iraqi officials worrying production might need to be cut within weeks.

A ceremony at the West Qurna 2 oil field in Basra to mark the opening of two new well complexes on June 1, 2023. (JASSIM AL-JABIRI/Iraq Oil Report)

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.

Mar 18, 2022

Parliament vote signals uphill battle for Ismaael and INOC

A recent vote to remove the oil minister as the head of the Iraqi National Oil Company highlights political headwinds for Ihsan Ismaael's efforts to restructure the oil sector and maintain a foothold beyond the transition to a new government.

Mar 8, 2022

Uncertainty deepens after landmark ruling against Kurdistan’s oil sector

Baghdad and Erbil have vastly different strategies for responding to a ruling from Iraq's highest court that invalidated the legal foundations of Kurdistan's oil sector.

Mar 6, 2022

Iraq rebounds from temporary oil field outages

The West Qurna 2 field is scheduled to return from maintenance sooner than expected, and the Nassiriya field is back online a week after protest-related disruptions.

Mar 2, 2022

Iraq’s February oil exports rise

Monthly revenues hit another 10-year high as exports rebounded from a January dip and global oil prices spiked.

Mar 2, 2022

TotalEnergies mega-deal with Iraq hits snag over state participation

Iraq wants to take a 40 percent stake in the $27 billion deal, but finalizing terms could prove difficult before a new government takes shape.

Mar 1, 2022

Q&A: Ali Shaddad al-Faris, MP from Basra

One of the plaintiffs in the landmark Federal Supreme Court case against Kurdistan's independent oil sector discusses fallout from the ruling as well as Parliament's role in energy sector oversight.

Feb 26, 2022

Protests shut down Nassiriya field

The 60k bpd field is the second in two days to stop production amid global supply concerns as Russian war in Ukraine continues.

Feb 24, 2022

West Qurna 2 offline for maintenance until mid-March

The 400,000 bpd field is entirely shut down for scheduled upgrade work, likely causing a short-term dip in Iraqi output at a sensitive time for oil markets.

Feb 23, 2022

Dhi Qar unrest raises oil sector risks

Protesters are threatening to shut down the Nassiriya field, and deadly violence has caused one American company to suspend oil operations in the province.