Shafaq News- Najaf

Gypsum plants in Iraq’s Najaf province have received no fuel oil since May despite monthly deductions for their allocations, their representative Haider Maji told Shafaq News.

Maji said each plant is allocated 60,000 liters a month, down from 80,000 liters before the allocation was cut around 2010, enough to operate for only about 10 days. Each plant can produce roughly 60 tons of gypsum per day when fuel is available.

A source in Najaf attributed the shortage to higher summer demand from electricity stations after reduced Iranian gas supplies pushed some plants toward greater use of fuel oil. The Najaf refinery currently produces about 2,800 cubic meters of fuel oil per day, with roughly 2,600 cubic meters supplied to power stations.

Maji urged authorities to restore regular fuel allocations, warning that gypsum production cannot continue without them. Iraq holds an estimated 142 million tons of primary gypsum reserves, according to an Iraqi Geological Survey study, which identifies the mineral as an important raw material for the country’s cement and plaster industries.

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