Iraq’s expansion goals under pressure from lack of investment

Ambitious production expansion plans under threat as a lack of investment in southern Iraqi infrastructure disrupts progress

The Iraqi government is sticking to targets for oil production capacity expansion that were drawn up before the global price collapse. But a combination of fiscal pressures and disruption to oil operations caused by the Islamic State insurgency in the north of the country is likely to force a reassessment. The Basra Oil, Gas and Infrastructure Conference in Istanbul heard in early November that the energy ministry is still hoping to bring Iraq’s production capacity to 9m b/d by 2020, from today’s 4m b/d, in line with figures contained in its 2013 National Energy Strategy. This is theoretically possible if all the production expansion plans are carried out and all the export infrastructure ex