Oil facilities secure amid Iraq’s mass protests: ministry

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – An Iraqi government spokesman said the country’s oil supply is safe and pumping crude at normal levels despite mass protests, which began in Iraq’s southern port city of Basra last week and have spread to other provinces.

“Production and exports from southern Iraq are stable as per normal levels,” said Asim Jihad, spokesperson for Iraq’s Oil Ministry, as reported by Bloomberg on Sunday.

Jihad added that additional security has been deployed to protect oil fields and energy facilities in the region.

In the past week, protesters in Basra have blocked routes to oil fields, cut off access to the vital oil export center Umm Qasr port, and threatened to shut down a border crossing with Iran. 

Protesters in Basra and across other provinces in southern Iraq are demanding better access to basic services such as water, electricity, and jobs.

Temperatures in southern Iraq can top 50 degrees Celsius in the summer. Sporadic electricity supplies and water shortages due to prolonged drought exacerbate the intense heat.

The government – which is essentially in caretaker mode as allegations of vote rigging have delayed finalization of the May 12 parliamentary election – has pledged 10,000 jobs and $3 billion for Basra’s services in a bid to quell the unrest. 

Baghdad has formed a ministerial committee headed by Oil Minister Jabbar al-Luaibi to formulate plans to address the protesters’ concerns, according to a government statement on Saturday.

Iraq is the second largest crude oil producer within the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) after Saudi Arabia with an average output of 4.55 million barrels per day (bpd) according to the International Energy Agency.