Q&A: Hamza Abdul-Baqi, director general of the South Gas Company

KHOR AL-ZUBAIR - Gas is an urgent priority for the Iraqi government. The country currently produces massive volumes of natural gas along with crude oil, but over half of this so-called "associated gas" — some 18 billion cubic meters annually — is burned in a wasteful practice known as flaring.

There are many big incentives to reduce flaring. If Iraq could capture more associated gas, there would be more feedstock for power plants, lower demand for expensive gas imports from Iran, and reductions in the carbon and methane emissions that are major contributors to global climate change.