Iraq's natural gas production poised for significant surge by 2050

Shafaq News/ Iraq is expected to witness a substantial increase in natural gas production by the year 2050, as estimates from the Gas Exporting Countries Forum (GECF) indicate.

Gas production has doubled in Iraq to 15 billion cubic meters in 2022, from 5 billion cubic meters recorded in 2013, according to a GECF report.

Iraq's strategic efforts to ramp up its natural gas production align with its aims to fortify the electricity sector, which heavily relies on this energy source for power generation.

The report further indicates that the anticipated production surge will primarily originate from associated gas extracted during oil production, maintaining its position as Iraq's primary source of natural gas and accounting for 60% of the country's projected production by 2050.

Key extraction sites contributing to this growth include the oil fields of West Qurna 2, Majnoon, Artawi, Tuba, and Luhais, all part of an investment agreement signed by Iraq with TotalEnergies last year. The project's production capacity is expected to reach a substantial 6.7 billion cubic meters annually upon completion.

Notably, Iraq ranked as the world's third-largest gas-flaring country by the conclusion of 2022, following Russia and Iran, with an estimated nearly 18 billion cubic meters flared annually.