Iraq to end gas flaring within four years: Minister

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iraq plans to stop flaring associated gas by the end of 2028 and use it to increase the country’s production of electricity, an Iraqi minister announced during meeting with officials in the United States on Monday.

“By the end of 2028, Iraq aims to completely stop gas flaring, contributing significantly to reducing greenhouse gas emissions, utilizing this energy for electricity generation and various industries,” Iraqi Oil Minister Hayyan Abdul-Ghani said in a statement while meeting US officials in Houston, Texas.

“The minister referred to the ministry's progress in gas investment projects, noting that the percentage of captured gas from various fields increased from 51 percent of associated gas in 2022 to over 65 percent this year,” the statement added.

Abdul-Ghani presented US gas companies, an US-Iraqi business council, and chamber of commerce members with investment opportunities in Iraq. 

The US State Department released a statement on Monday about the trip to Texas by Assistant Secretary of State for Energy Resources Geoffrey R. Pyatt.

The assistant secretary had “discussions on Iraq’s oil and gas and power sectors, as well as opportunities for cooperation and investment,” according to the US statement, which were to “advance discussions” following Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani’s visit to Washington in April and Pyatt’s visit to Baghdad in May.

The Iraqi ministry stated that Abdul-Ghani also encouraged US companies to invest in gas exploration blocks in northern Nineveh and Anbar provinces.

Representatives from the US Department of Energy and Pacific Northwest National Laboratory - a major research facility used by the US government - were also attending the event, according to the US statement.

Flaring is when oil wells burn the excess gas that cannot be stored or used. It is a convenient way to deal with associated petroleum gas - a waste product; however, it damages the environment, hurts public health, and contributes to global warming.

Iraq was among the top gas-flaring countries globally last year, according to a report in June by The World Bank, which also noted the country’s increase in flaring intensity.

Iraq is accompanied by Russia, Iran, the United States, Venezuela, Algeria, Libya, Nigeria, and Mexico, according to the report, as the countries flaring the most in 2023. 

“Together, these nine countries are responsible for 75 percent of global gas flaring, but just 46 percent of global oil production,” the report stated.

Flaring also releases toxic pollutants that are known to harm human health, such as benzene - a carcinogen that causes leukemia. Communities living near flared-gas sites are at particular risk.

The minister was a part of the delegation that traveled with Sudani to Washington in April. Sudani presided over the signing of 19 memoranda of understanding with US companies in various fields, including energy, gas capture for electricity generation, and healthcare.

Sudani’s goal is for Iraq to completely end gas flaring within three to five years, he said at the al-Rafidain Forum for Dialogue in Baghdad in March.