Shafaq News- Kirkuk
Kirkuk’s residents should receive priority for jobs created by development projects linked to the province’s oilfields, a Kirkuk lawmaker told Shafaq News on Wednesday, arguing that it is unacceptable for local communities to bear the environmental impacts and pollution associated with oil activities while employment opportunities go to workers brought in from outside the province.
Helou Qader al-Jabari, a lawmaker from the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), welcomed the recently signed deal between Britain’s BP, US energy company ConocoPhillips and Iraq’s Ministry of Oil, describing it as a major step toward expanding production capacity at Kirkuk’s oilfields.
Kirkuk is home to some of Iraq’s oldest and largest oil fields, including the Kirkuk, Bai Hassan, Jambur and Khabbaz fields. These sites have faced technical and security challenges in recent years, prompting the Oil Ministry to partner with international energy companies to rehabilitate infrastructure and increase production capacity.
According to data from the US Energy Information Administration (EIA) and recent assessments by S&P Global, Iraq holds more than 145 billion barrels of proven crude oil reserves, while oil accounts for around 84% of state revenues and 95% of export earnings.