Iran casts shadow over Kurdish gas aspirations
The Kurdistan region is facing political and military challenges as efforts to appoint a government in Baghdad descend further into chaos
Years of wrangling over the status of Iraqi Kurdistan’s oil and gas sector are coming to a head. And as Baghdad descends into further political upheaval, Tehran appears likely to be the key beneficiary. Independent Kurdish oil exports have been a prominent issue since they began in 2007. But the declaration in February by Iraq’s federal court that these exports are unconstitutional has added a high-profile legal edge to proceedings—with Kurdish expansionism up against vested interests in maintaining the status quo. With production of c.450,000bl/d and exports of c.350,000bl/d, the Kurdistan region accounts for a little over 10pc of Iraq’s oil flows. The Kurdistan Regional Government’s (KRG’s
Also in this section
4 October 2024
Economic ill-health may be a wake-up call to the world about the Asian nation’s shifting oil buying status
3 October 2024
The formation’s gas-to-oil ratio is set to keep rising, but new markets and midstream plans mean infrastructure constraints may not be an issue
2 October 2024
Geopolitical strife embroiling Iran and political corruption in Venezuela suggest little near-term change to oil production from either of the sanctioned states
1 October 2024
Our look into Petroleum Economist's archives continues with October 1960 coverage of another key moment in the history of oil and gas: the founding of OPEC