KEY POINTS
- Iraq energy initiative aims to boost power generation.
- Seawater project to save freshwater for communities.
- Ratawi field expansion to raise oil output by 2028.
French energy giant TotalEnergies and QatarEnergy are moving forward with two critical contracts under Iraq’s $27 billion Gas Growth Integrated Project, signaling a major step in one of the Middle East’s most ambitious energy undertakings.
The announcement came Monday during a high-level meeting in Baghdad with Iraqi government officials, confirming the long-delayed Common Seawater Supply Project and the full field development of the Ratawi oil field.
Iraq energy initiative reaches key milestone
The Gas Growth Integrated Project, known as GGIP, is structured as a joint venture with TotalEnergies holding a 45 percent stake and serving as operator. Basra Oil Company, Iraq’s state partner, owns 30 percent, while QatarEnergy controls 25 percent. Together, the partners are pushing all four components—natural gas, solar power, oil, and water management—into execution.
The seawater project, a cornerstone of Iraq’s oil infrastructure, will be located near Um Qasr and designed to process 5 million barrels of seawater per day. Treated water will then be pumped to southern oil fields, reducing dependence on the Tigris and Euphrates for well pressure maintenance. Iraqi officials say the plan will free up as much as 250,000 cubic meters of freshwater daily for farms and communities, easing pressure on scarce water resources.
Ratawi oil and gas expansion moves forward
Alongside water infrastructure, work is intensifying at the Ratawi oil field, which began first-phase development in September 2023. That phase is expected to lift output to 120,000 barrels a day by 2026. A second stage, announced this week, will increase production further to 210,000 barrels a day by 2028, with a commitment to end routine flaring.
Gas tied to Ratawi will be processed in a 300-million-cubic-feet-per-day Gas Midstream Project already under construction. Once complete, the system will supply Iraq’s national grid with enough fuel to generate about 1.5 gigawatts of power—sufficient for 1.5 million households. An early gas production facility will also come online in 2026, synchronizing with Ratawi’s first oil output.
According to Oil Price, Patrick Pouyanné, Chairman and CEO of TotalEnergies, described the latest contracts as “long-awaited” and crucial to Iraq’s economic recovery. He said the projects would create 7,000 jobs during construction while improving energy independence and cutting emissions.
For a country struggling with blackouts, overreliance on fuel imports, and rising domestic demand, the progress marks a rare alignment of foreign investment, resource development, and local priorities.
