Bazerkan oil field, south of Baghdad
Gas at the heart of Iraq’s transition
While oil has grabbed the headlines for Iraq, tapping its gas potential could transform the country’s economic fortunes
Iraq is a global oil giant, home to c.144bn bl of recoverable reserves, based on a conservative recovery factor of 17-29pc. But it also has the potential to be a gas player of international significance if it can overcome challenges to unlocking this opportunity. Given it provides more than 90pc of government funding, it is no surprise that the export of the vast majority of Iraq’s c.5mn bl/d of oil production attracts greater attention. It is also entirely understandable—with this budget centrality—that Baghdad has ambitions to increase output to 8mn bl/d by 2027. There remain large swathes of the country that are underexplored. And the government is recalculating its recoverable reserve fi
Also in this section
24 December 2025
As activity in the US Gulf has stagnated at a lower level, the government is taking steps to encourage fresh exploration and bolster field development work
23 December 2025
The new government has brought stability and security to the country, with the door now open to international investment
23 December 2025
A third wave of LNG supply is coming, and with it a likely oversupply of the fuel by 2028
22 December 2025
Weakening climate resolve in the developed world and rapidly growing demand in developing countries means peak oil is still a long way away
