Long languishing in the doldrums, Iraq’s gas sector is showing renewed signs of life with both domestic projects and import plans gaining momentum. However, development will remain constrained by Iraq’s twin economic and political crises (MEES, 15 April).

Flaring of associated gas remains a huge problem in Iraq, but the country deserves credit for recent improvements. As well as the environmental benefits, reduced flaring also boosts the amount of gas available for domestic consumption. Overall gas output was 2.65mn cfd in February, of which a staggering 1.73mn cfd was flared (63%). However, this was down from 73% in December (MEES, 1 April). (CONTINUED - 668 WORDS)