The Ministry of Electricity of Iraq has confirmed the establishment of a joint committee to engage in discussions regarding gas imports from Qatar and Turkmenistan, the Iraqi News Agency (INA) reported on Tuesday, with reference to the comments from the Iraqi Minister of Electricity Ziyad Ali Fadel.
The Iraqi Minister of Electricity Ziyad Ali Fadel told INA that the government made decisions and formed a committee, including officials from the Ministry of Oil, headed by the Undersecretary of the Ministry of Electricity for Production Affairs, and the advisors of the Ministry of Electricity, to arrange gas deals with Qatar and Turkmenistan.
Fadel further explained that one delegation from the committee will travel to Turkmenistan to explore potential gas import deals, while another delegation will visit Qatar to negotiate the provision of liquefied gas to Iraq through one of its ports.
Iraqi gas imports are used to operate power plants in central and southern Iraq, which collectively generate around 7,000 megawatts of electricity per day.
Last month, the Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammad Shia al-Sudani held an emergency meeting to find alternatives to country’s gas imports, considering imports from Turkmenistan.