On Wednesday, Deputy Mudar Al-Karawi confirmed that Prime Minister Muhammad Shia' Al-Sudani has fulfilled his promise to expedite the investment of Iraq's largest gas field. Al-Karawi, in an interview with "Baghdad Today," stated that "the Cabinet in its session on Tuesday decided to proceed with signing the contract for the Mansouriya gas field in eastern Diyala between the Ministry of Oil/ Al-Wasat Oil Company and the consortium (China Gira Company and Petro Iraq) in principle," adding that "Al-Sudani pledged to resolve the issues obstructing the development and investment of the field, which is the largest in the country in terms of reserves."
Al-Karawi noted that "the field can, through the first phase of production, provide self-sufficiency in gas to operate the Mansouriya gas station with a capacity of up to 700 megawatts and the ability to support other stations on the outskirts of Baghdad through a main pipeline extending from Mansouriya to the vicinity of the capital, thus reducing the import bill by no less than 15%."
He pointed out that "security disturbances have delayed the investment and development of the Mansouriya gas field," emphasizing that "the situation is now different in light of popular support for all government steps in developing oil and gas fields in Diyala, which will make the province a new window for supporting the national economy with the potential for large developmental projects, especially in petrochemicals, given the favorable conditions available."
It is noteworthy that the Cabinet voted in its session held on Tuesday to approve the recommendation of the Energy Ministerial Council (24034 M) for the year 2024, which includes proceeding with signing the contract for the Mansouriya gas field between the Ministry of Oil/ Al-Wasat Oil Company and the consortium (China Gira Company and Petro Iraq) in principle. The Mansouriya field is an Iraqi gas field located in the Mansouriya district in Diyala Governorate, extending from the northwest to the northeast, measuring about 25 kilometers in length and 5 to 6 kilometers in width. The Iraqi Minister of Oil mentioned in December 2022 that the gas reserves in the field amount to 4.5 trillion cubic feet, with a daily investment capacity of 300 million cubic feet.
