Iraq
Gas cylinders being filled up in the back of a truck at a gas station in Erbil. File photo: Bilind T. Abdullah / Rudaw
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iraq’s oil ministry said Wednesday it will import an additional 200,000 tons of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) to prevent potential shortages as disruptions linked to the suspended Iran war have affected trade and production.
Abdul Sahib al-Hassnawi, spokesperson for the ministry, told Rudaw that the prime minister has approved the imports as a precautionary measure. He said Iraq’s current gas production “is stable,” standing at around 4,700 tons daily, adding the “amount is completely equivalent to domestic consumption.” He also noted that the ministry has 50,000 tons in reserve.
Since February 28, when the war between the US, Israel, and Iran began, oil and gas production has been disrupted across several fields in Iraq and the Kurdistan Region, including the strategic Khor Mor gas field in Sulaimani province, a key electricity supplier.
Restrictions on trade through the Strait of Hormuz, which carries around 20 percent of global oil and liquefied natural gas supplies, have further increased pressure on Iraq’s energy sector. Iranian strikes on energy facilities in Gulf countries have also worsened shortages.
The United States and Iran announced a ceasefire early Wednesday, set to last two weeks, which is expected to allow the resumption of traffic through the strait.
Hassnawi said the ministry has introduced “a new organizational system to ensure that the gas share reaches every citizen,” providing two gas cylinders per month to each household.
He added that residents can request their share digitally through the Super Key application to prevent “manipulating people's shares” and “illegal trade” in gas.
The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) began providing subsidized cooking gas in mid-March as shortages emerged, offering two cylinders per household at an official price of 8,500 dinars (around $6.5), compared to market prices that had risen to nearly 40,000 dinars (around $30).
Gashaw Khalid contributed to this report from Erbil, Kurdistan Region.
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