Iraq is going ahead with plans to build an offshore platform to receive LNG after the loss of most of its gas supplies from Iran, an official has said, according to the official Iraqi New Agency (INA).
Hamza Abdel Baqi, Director of South Gas Co said Iraq would soon award a contract for the construction of the platform and pipelines that link the facility to onshore infrastructure to supply southern power facilities with gas.
“Iraq is now working to build an LNG import platform and a network of pipelines to link it with onshore facilities, which feed power stations,” he told INA.
Baqi did not disclose the supply sources but Iraq had considered importing Qatari LNG in 2022 to face a rapid increase in domestic demand.
In 2024, OPEC’s second largest oil producer signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Turkmenistan for the supply of nearly 20 mill cu m of gas per day but energy analysts believed the contract may never materialise due to its high risks, as the gas will be transported via Iran’s pipelines, which are under Western sanctions.
Iraq controls nearly 3.5 trill cu m of natural gas reserves, which have remained largely untapped in recent years, due to wars.
