File photo of Iraqi Oil Minister Jabar Ali al-Luaibi at a news conference during his visit to the oil field of Zubair, in Basra, Iraq. (Reuters)
Iraq’s natural gas output will triple to 1,700 million cubic feet per day (cfd) by 2018, as the OPEC nation implements projects to reduce flaring, oil minister Jabar al-Luaibi said on Sunday.
Gas production should increase to 1,400 million cf/d in 2017 from 650,000 cf/d in 2016, he told an energy conference in Baghdad.
Last year Iraq started exporting gas liquids, processed by the Basrah Gas Company, a joint venture between the state-run South Gas Company, Shell and Mitsubishi.
The company collects gas associated with oil produced from fields in southern Iraq, processing it into fuel for power plants, cooking gas and liquids for exports.
Iraq expects to more than triple exports of liquefied petroleum gas, and to double exports of gas condensates in 2017 as it collects more of these fuels at its southern oilfields, South Gas said in January.
LPG exports are set to increase to 100,000 tonnes this year, from 30,000 tons in 2016. Gas condensate exports are set to rise to 400,000 cubic meters this year, from 200,000 cubic meters in 2016, South Gas said.
