Iraq’s energy sector steadily expands
15 May 2023
MEED's latest coverage on Iraq's energy projects market includes:
> PIPELINE STOPPAGE: Turkiye yet to respond to Iraqi oil request
> CHEMICALS: Iraq continues technical studies for $8bn chemical project
> UPSTREAM DEVELOPERS: No place like Iraq for international oil firms
> OIL TRAINS: Key Iraq oil project units arriving in third quarter
> GAS: Iraq gas project on track for commissioning this year
> INVESTMENT: Total deal could lead to project boom in Iraq
> RUMAILA FIELD: BP and PetroChina prepare to award Iraq oil contract
Iraq's oil and gas projects market has steadily expanded over recent months, with the total value of the country's active oil, gas and chemical projects rising by nine per cent since the start of 2020.
As of 2 May 2023, Iraq’s active oil, gas and chemical projects were worth an estimated $143.9bn, up from $132.2bn on 7 January 2020, according to data collected by the regional project-tracking service MEED Projects.
Over the period, in nominal terms, the country’s energy project market expanded by $11.7bn, which is far larger than some of its regional competitors, but also lagging behind some key markets that are continuing to see a dramatic expansion in project activity.
In terms of energy project market expansion, Iraq has outperformed countries such as Algeria, Kuwait and Libya.
Countries that have performed far better than Iraq include Egypt, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE.
Over the period, energy project activity has surged in Saudi Arabia, which overtook Iraq to become the region’s largest market for hydrocarbon projects in mid-2022.
Since the start of January 2020, the total value of Saudi Arabia’s active oil, gas and chemical projects has increased by $61.3bn, rising from $112.7bn to $174.1bn.
Over the same period, the total value of Egypt’s active oil, gas and chemical projects sector has expanded by $46.6bn, according to MEED Projects, rising to $136.1bn.
Nations such as Saudi Arabia and Egypt have made ground on Iraq in terms of the size of their energy project markets, partly by taking advantage of Europe’s efforts to shift away from Russian energy imports.
They are also investing in hydrocarbon and chemical technologies that will likely see increased demand during the ongoing global energy transition, such as upstream gas production, the production of the precursors to plastics, and ammonia production.
Political uncertainty
While Iraq has seen its energy projects market steadily expand, it has missed out on the dramatic growth seen in Saudi Arabia and Egypt due to a range of factors.
A key factor that has hobbled Iraq’s expansion over recent years has been political instability and an inability to make critical policy decisions regarding the country’s economy.
In 2022, the caretaker government failed to pass a budget amid political wrangling. The interim parliament, which had limited access to funds, passed a $17bn emergency package called the Food Security and Development Bill, but was not mandated to make important decisions about major projects.
Multi-year budget
From a political perspective, there is reason to be more optimistic about Iraq’s ability to make future investment decisions due to the finalisation of a three-year budget law in March this year.
A draft budget of ID197.82tn ($152.17bn) was announced for 2023, with an agreed operational expenditure of ID150.27tn ($115.59bn), and an investment expenditure of ID47.55tn ($36.58bn).
The budget is drafted to allow it to be repeated in 2024 and 2025. It is the first time an Iraqi government has drafted a multi-year budget, having typically passed one-year budgets.
Ahead of the budget agreement, Iraq made a string of major project announcements. These include plans to revive the $8bn Nebras petrochemicals complex in Basra.
The multi-year budget should also allow for more strategic projects to pass over the coming months, allowing Iraq to adapt to changing market conditions, including the global energy transition and shifting dynamics in Europe and Asia.
Iraq has already signalled that it is looking to modernise its downstream oil sector, improving the complexity of existing refineries and building new facilities.
Gas projects
In terms of gas sector projects, progress will likely be made on existing projects to capture gas from oil fields that would otherwise be flared. More projects of this type could be announced shortly.
Iraq and its international partners are likely to prioritise these projects because they provide increased gas supplies and new revenue streams and have a positive environmental impact.
Iraq-Turkiye tensions
Although the political outlook is improved by the increased certainty regarding annual budgets, the country’s energy projects market could experience growing disruption over the coming months due to tensions between Iraq’s federal government, the Kurdish Regional Government (KRG) and the government of Turkiye.
At the end of March, in the wake of a ruling by the International Chamber of Commerce Court of Arbitration last month, the oil export pipeline that extends from the north of Iraq to the Turkish port of Ceyhan was shut down.
The pipeline is a key export route for Iraq. When operating normally, it transports 400,000 barrels a day (b/d) from Iraqi Kurdistan and 70,000 b/d from the rest of Iraq.
On 4 April in Baghdad, Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed al-Sudani and the Prime Minister of the Iraqi Kurdistan Region, Masrour Barzani, signed a temporary agreement designed to restart oil exports from the north of the country.
Despite this, after more than a month, oil exports via the pipeline are yet to resume.
The lengthy stoppage and lack of clarity over when exports will recommence have cast a shadow across Iraq’s oil sector, forcing oil fields in the north of the country to seal wells and stop production and putting the future of planned upstream projects in doubt.
While there remains a cause for concern regarding political stability in Iraq, the fundamentals for the country’s oil and gas sector remain sound.
Iraq's state-owned oil companies and their international partners have shown in the past that they can negotiate difficult political and security situations, and the country will likely be able to continue to steadily grow its energy projects market over the months to follow.
MEED's June 2023 special report on Iraq includes:
> GOVERNMENT: Sudani makes fitful progress as Iraq's premier
> ECONOMY: Iraq hits the spend button
> POWER: Iraq power projects make headway
> UPSTREAM DEVELOPERS: No place like Iraq for international oil firms
> CHEMICALS: Iraq continues technical studies for $8bn chemical project
> SOLAR: Total continues 1GW Iraq solar talks
> TRANSPORT: Baghdad approves funds for metro and airport projects
Register for MEED's guest program now to access this article.
Exclusive from Meed
-
Dubai seeks consultants to develop drainage strategy18 March 2026
-
Oman awards power purchase agreements18 March 2026
-
DP World awards Jafza warehouse construction deal18 March 2026
-
-
Jabal Omar plans next phase of its Mecca development18 March 2026
All of this is only 1% of what MEED.com has to offer
Subscribe now and unlock all the 153,671 articles on MEED.com
- All the latest news, data, and market intelligence across MENA at your fingerprints
- First-hand updates and inside information on projects, clients and competitors that matter to you
- 20 years' archive of information, data, and news for you to access at your convenience
- Strategize to succeed and minimise risks with timely analysis of current and future market trends
Related Articles
-
Dubai seeks consultants to develop drainage strategy
18 March 2026
Dubai Municipality has issued a request for qualifications (RFQ) for a study to develop a sustainable urban drainage systems (Suds) strategy across the emirate.
The bid submission deadline is 9 April.
The tender, issued through the Sewerage and Recycled Water Projects Department, covers the development of a strategy and conceptual implementation plan for Suds in Dubai.
It follows a separate RFQ issued by the municipality in March for consultancy services to study the emirate’s sewage treatment strategy.
The Suds project, designated TF-23-D1, aims to support the emirate’s flood protection and drainage infrastructure by promoting a more sustainable approach to stormwater management.
The scope of work includes a review of international best practices in Suds and their applicability to Dubai. It also involves undertaking a Suds opportunity study and carrying out catchment-scale modelling and financial evaluation for a pilot study area.
Consultants will be required to develop Suds design guidelines, specifications and standard drawings. The project also includes establishing a strategy, policy, legal and regulatory framework to support a Suds implementation roadmap.
Dubai Municipality said the initiative represents “a significant step towards a more resilient, sustainable and forward-looking stormwater management approach for Dubai.”
The study forms part of a broader review of Dubai’s water and wastewater infrastructure. Earlier this month, the municipality issued a separate consultancy tender (P115-D1) to assess the emirate’s sewage treatment and recycled water distribution strategy.
The study will focus on infrastructure requirements to support future population growth.
This includes identifying locations for potential future facilities such as treatment plants and pumping stations.
The bid submission deadline is 23 March.
https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/16027434/main.jpg -
Oman awards power purchase agreements
18 March 2026
Oman’s Nama Power & Water Procurement Company (PWP) has issued letters of award (LoA) for new power purchase agreements (PPAs) to three independent power producers (IPPs), according to regulatory filings.
The new PPAs will extend the operating life of existing gas-fired power plants beyond the expiry of their current contracts.
The projects have a combined capacity of about 3,500MW.
The agreements have been awarded to Phoenix Power Company, Al-Batinah Power Company and Al-Suwadi Power Company.
Phoenix Power Company operates the 2,000MW Sur IPP. It is owned by a consortium of international and regional investors, including Japan’s Marubeni Corporation and Chubu Electric Power, Qatar’s Nebras Power, Qatar Electricity & Water Company and Multitech of Oman’s Bahwan Engineering Company.
Al-Batinah Power Company and Al-Suwadi Power Company operate the 750MW Sohar 2 IPP and the 750MW Barka 3 IPP, respectively.
According to regional projects tracker MEED Projects, Nama PWP signed the original PPA for the Barka 3 project in 2010 with a consortium led by Gaz de France (GDF) Suez under a special purpose vehicle (SPC) called Al-Suwadi Power Company.
The shareholders comprised GDF Suez (46%), Bahwan Engineering Company (22%), Shikoku Electric Power Corporation (11%), Sojitz Corporation (11%) and the Public Authority for Social Insurance (10%).
In 2015, GDF Suez was rebranded as Engie following a strategic shift towards low-carbon energy and utilities.
All three companies said the new PPAs will run for 15 years under agreed commercial terms. Acceptance of the LOAs has been requested by 18 March 2026.
The new agreements for Sohar 2 and Barka 3 will take effect on 1 April 2028 and run until 31 March 2043. The agreement for the Sur IPP will commence on 1 April 2029 and run until 31 March 2044.
The awards form part of Nama PWP’s 2028-29 procurement programme. The programme aims to secure firm generation capacity from existing assets whose current PPAs are due to expire during that period.
In Oman, IPP projects are developed under a build-own-operate model. This allows plant operators to continue running assets beyond the initial PPA term, either through contract extensions or by selling power into a future electricity market.
https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/16027001/main.jpg -
DP World awards Jafza warehouse construction deal
18 March 2026
Dubai-based ports operator DP World has awarded a contract to build a multi-tenant warehouse development at Jebel Ali Freezone in Dubai, UAE.
The contract was awarded to local firm Group Amana.
The development spans 141,916 square metres (sq m) and comprises 187 units across seven blocks.
These comprise warehouses, light industrial units, a retail shop, a mosque and other associated infrastructure.
The new contract builds on their existing partnership to deliver the logistics park at Jeddah Islamic Port in Saudi Arabia.
In February last year, MEED exclusively reported that Dubai’s DP World and the Saudi Ports Authority (Mawani) had awarded a SR347m ($92m) design-and-build contract to Group Amana for the project.
The scope of the contract covers construction work on the buildings under package two of the project’s first phase.
Earlier this week, MEED reported that DP World has kept its 2026 capital expenditure budget at nearly $3bn, focusing on two domestic assets and four overseas projects.
The company said in a statement that the priority developments include Jebel Ali and Drydocks World in Dubai.
Earlier this month, the group announced record financial results for 2025, with revenue up 22% to $24.4bn and adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation (Ebitda) up 18% to $6.4bn, delivering a 26.3% margin.
DP World said this performance was driven by strong momentum across its ports and terminals and logistics business.
The group’s gross throughput rose 5.8% to 93.4 million 20-foot equivalent units.
Profit for the year increased 32.2% to $1.96bn, and operating cash flow grew 14% to $6.3bn.
Return on capital employed increased to 9.9% in 2025, up from 8.9% in 2024, reflecting stronger earnings despite ongoing geopolitical and trade uncertainty.
https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/16026660/main.png -
Egyptian firm starts building Sal’s Riyadh logistics centre
18 March 2026
Egyptian contractor Rowad Modern Engineering, a subsidiary of the Elsewedy Electric Group, has begun construction on the expansion of Saudi Logistics Services Company (Sal) facilities at King Khalid International airport in Riyadh.
The scope of work includes the rehabilitation and upgrade of existing infrastructure, as well as the construction of new supporting facilities and services.
Sal started the tendering process for its SR4.2bn ($1bn) logistics zone in the north of Riyadh in September last year, as MEED reported.
UAE-based Global Engineering Consultants is the project consultant.
The logistics hub aims to meet the demand for customised warehouses located near King Khalid International airport and the Riyadh Metro.
The project is in line with Vision 2030 and the National Transport & Logistics Strategy, which aims to support the kingdom’s logistics sector and enhance Saudi Arabia’s position as a global logistics hub.
Sal and Sela signed an agreement to develop the project in March last year.
This was followed by another lease agreement for the project, which will span about 1.57 million square metres.
According to an official statement: “The lease will extend for 30 years, which is further extendable to an additional 15 years upon agreement of both parties.”
GlobalData expects the kingdom’s construction industry to record an annual average growth rate of 5.2% in 2025-28, supported by investments in transport, electricity, housing and tourism infrastructure projects, as well as the $850bn-plus gigaprojects programme.
Growth will also be supported by government investments in rail, dams, industrial and road infrastructure projects.
The industrial sector is estimated to grow by 3.3% in 2025-28, supported by investments in the development of manufacturing, logistics, chemicals and pharmaceuticals plants.
https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/16026154/main.gif -
Jabal Omar plans next phase of its Mecca development
18 March 2026
Saudi Arabian developer Jabal Omar Development Company is carrying out planning for phase seven of its Jabal Omar master development in Mecca, according to a fourth-quarter 2025 financial presentation.
The company said phase seven will be a mixed-use scheme comprising hotels, retail and residential components, but did not disclose a breakdown of the project elements.
Jabal Omar plans to use a development partnership model for the phase to minimise capital expenditure.
Separately, the developer said it is targeting the delivery of 1,346 hotel keys and more than 20,000 square metres of gross leasing area in phase four by 2027.
Rotana Jabal Omar Makkah, comprising 655 keys, is due to be fully operational in the first quarter of 2026, after 450 keys began operating in the final week of December 2025.
The 1,141-key Sofitel is scheduled to become operational in the fourth quarter of 2026, while the 20,000 square metres of gross leasable area is expected to be ready in 2027.
Jabal Omar estimates its 2026 capital expenditure at SR1.1bn ($293m), with spending expected to fall once the phase four hotels are completed.
https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/16026145/main.png