Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) – The Iraqi Minister of Oil, Hayan Abdul-Ghani, revealed on Thursday that flared gas recovery rose from 53 percent in early 2023 to 74 percent.
In a statement to the state-run news agency (INA), Abdul-Ghani explained that the ministry approved several strategic projects to develop the country’s gas sector.
Iraq is carrying out ambitious projects to reduce gas flaring associated with oil operations, achieve self-sufficiency in gas, and meet the fuel demands of multiple industries and power plants.
Eliminating gas flaring in Iraq is an essential aspect of Baghdad’s goals to attain self-sufficiency and lower its import costs, as well as meet its climate pledges.
The government’s strategy aims to cease gas flaring in oil fields over the coming few years and achieve a production rate of three billion standard cubic feet per day by 2030.
Amid plans to stop gas flaring in oil fields by the end of 2028, the government’s plans include converting flared gas into clean energy to support power plants and related industries, as well as protecting the environment and public health, in accordance with Iraq’s international commitments, including the 2016 Paris Agreement to achieve zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2030.
Abdul-Ghani said earlier that Iraq will be one of the countries that contribute greatly to reducing gas emissions and utilizing this energy to generate electricity.
The percentage of associated gas utilized in Iraq was 51 percent in 2022 and rose to more than 65 percent in 2024, according to Abdul-Ghani.
When crude oil is produced from oil wells, raw natural gas linked to the oil also rises to the surface. Large volumes of such related gas are frequently flared as waste or useless gas, particularly in parts of the world without pipelines or other gas transportation infrastructure.
The natural gas not combusted by a flare is released into the atmosphere as methane. Methane’s global warming potential is projected to be around 32 times greater than that of carbon dioxide over a century.
