Shafaq News/Iraq’s Oil Ministry announced on Friday the launch of a gas pipeline project inBasra aimed at supplying fuel to power plants as the country seeks to diversifyits energy sources.
Oil MinisterHayan Abdul Ghani oversaw the project during a visit to the Khor Al-Zubairport, where work is underway on a dry gas pipeline crucial for powergeneration, the ministry said in a statement.
Thepipeline, developed by the state-run Oil Projects Company (SCOP), extends 40 kmfrom Khor Al-Zubair to the Shatt al-Arab regulator, with a diameter of 42inches. The ministry stressed that the project remains on schedule and adheresto engineering and technical standards.
Theinitiative follows the expiration of a US sanctions waiver on March 8, whichhad allowed Iraq to import Iranian gas for power generation. With the waiver nolonger in effect, Baghdad is accelerating efforts to secure alternative energysources.
Ali Shaddad,a spokesman for the parliamentary Oil and Gas Committee, told Shafaq NewsAgency that Iraq’s dependence on gas-fired power plants, particularly outsideBasra, has made the country’s energy sector vulnerable. Unlike other regions,Basra’s power stations can operate on multiple fuels, including crude oil,ensuring greater grid stability.
Shaddadnoted that Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani is personally overseeing thegas pipeline project, which began about a month ago and is expected to becompleted within 120 days. He added that construction has already surpassed 30%completion, with the pipeline set to transport up to 200 million standard cubicfeet per day (Mcf/d) of Gulf gas.