A fuel for Iraq’s future
Iraq has world-class resources in both.
Oil and natural gas each bring their own distinct benefits. The sale of oil primarily brings the revenues Government needs to fund the building of a new Iraq. But natural gas is also extremely important. It can be the fuel that provides the country with the secure and reliable power that is a fundamental need of any modern society.
Natural gas also contains valuable components that can be separated for other uses. LPG, for example, is bottled in cylinders and is widely used in Iraq and elsewhere as fuel for cooking.
Iraq has estimated natural gas reserves of 112 trillion cubic metres, the 11th largest in the world according to the International Energy Agency.
Most of this natural gas is found in southern Iraq. Much of it is associated gas, which means that it is found in deposits of oil. When a well is drilled into this type of deposit, both oil and natural gas are produced.
Capturing associated gas requires special infrastructure. The alternative is to burn off the natural gas as a waste product, in a process called flaring.