Baker Institute Meeting Reinforces US-Iraq Energy Ties

Iraq’s Deputy Prime Minister for Energy Affairs and Minister of Oil, Hayan Abdul Ghani Al-Sawad, led a high-level Iraqi delegation to the Baker Institute in Houston for a series of discussions with top U.S. officials and business leaders. The meetings aimed at strengthening the 20-year partnership between Iraq and the United States, focusing on oil, energy, agriculture, and trade, while also exploring new avenues for cooperation.

Minister Al-Sawad engaged with key figures, including U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Jeffrey Pyatt, Baker Institute Director David Satterfield, and U.S. Chamber of Commerce President Tiff Lutes. In his remarks, Al-Sawad focused on Iraq’s pivotal role in the global energy landscape, highlighting the nation’s vast oil reserves of 145 billion barrels and substantial gas resources.

The Minister also presented Iraq’s ambitious goal of eliminating gas flaring by 2028 and outlined recent advancements in refining, with expanded capacities at Karbala, Basra, and North Refineries. He further introduced investment opportunities in natural gas exploration blocks in the Anbar and Nineveh regions.

During the meeting, Al-Sawad emphasised Iraq’s commitment to integrated projects that blend crude oil production, gas investment, electricity generation, and petrochemical development. Key initiatives discussed included the Development Road project, which seeks to improve connectivity across Iraq and forge regional partnerships with Turkey, the UAE, and Qatar.

In the power sector, Al-Sawad detailed Iraq’s efforts to enhance its electricity generation capacity, particularly through the introduction of combined cycle power plants with over 5,000 megawatts of capacity, aimed at boosting efficiency and reducing emissions. Iraq is also advancing agreements for electricity imports and exchanges with Jordan, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and Gulf countries.

The Iraqi delegation also held strategic meetings with leading energy firms, including Shell, Hunt Oil, and Baker Hughes, to discuss collaboration in gas and energy investment projects.

Source: Ministry of Oil