TotalEnergies deal may be launchpad for Iraq’s energy sector

Gas Growth Integrated Project pivotal to key Opec producer’s longer-term success

Iraq’s Gas Growth Integrated Project (GGIP) may have reached its final form after many previous iterations. In early April, Baghdad reached a final agreement with TotalEnergies and state-controlled QatarEnergy on the shape of the partnership. With Iraq’s energy sector finally showing signs of progress, the GGIP is crucial to its goals on at least three fronts. The new administration of Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani has been much more active than its predecessors in advancing energy sector deals. In February, the government concluded six exploration and development contracts that had been in limbo since 2018’s fifth licensing round. In early April, it reached a temporary deal with th