Iraq’s Ali al-Saady postpones flaring rule

Economic recovery has been predicated in part on the growth of gas-fired power generation, but the lack of infrastructure in Iraq means flaring is inevitable

The Iraqi government has put back the deadline for the elimination of natural gas flaring from this year to the end of 2022, the Basra Oil, Gas and Infrastructure conference in Istanbul heard in early November. The delay itself will present technical and financial challenges. At present Iraq, with the 12th largest natural gas reserves in the world, is fourth in terms of the amount of associated gas that it flares. This is not only wasting a precious asset – Iraq will soon be importing gas from Iran for power generation –it is also polluting the environment. Under the Iraqi government’s 2013 Integrated National Energy Strategy (INES), gas flaring has risen to the point that of the 1.726bn cf/