Shafaq News/ Gas production at the West Qurna field will begin within the next six months, Iraq's Prime Minister Mohammad Shia al-Sudani announced on Monday as he formed a task force from four ministries to review Iraq's energy file.

The announcement came during a meeting chaired by al-Sudani to discuss the Ministry of Electricity's plans and the national energy strategy file, in the presence of the Ministers of Electricity and Oil.

Al-Sudani directed the formation of a task force from the ministries of planning, electricity, oil, and finance, as well as the Advisory Board, to work on an urgent update of the national integrated energy strategy, "based on a review of the energy file and what Iraq needs at the level of produced energy and fuel energy, while at the same time ensuring sustainable financing of energy projects to prevent their delay or stoppage."

He stressed "the need to take into account in updating the strategy the integration of energy projects with each other, so that gas supply sources are available to operate gas power plants upon their completion, gas transmission pipelines are available upon completion of production from oil fields, and power plants are available to benefit from it."

Al-Sudani said the strategy should take into account "the path that the state is supposed to take to reduce the burden of the energy file on state funds, and directed that the specialized team submit its report on updating the strategy after consultation with the relevant ministries and with the consultant to the Ministry of Planning, KBR Company."

The meeting touched on the decision-making process of the gas transmission pipelines produced from gas stations, especially since gas production will start in West Qurna within six months, "which requires working on introducing this transmission pipeline into the national gas transmission network."