Iraq will no longer import oil products such as gasoline and diesel, as the Opec member has achieved self-sufficiency through increased hydrocarbons production and the opening of new refineries, Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al Sudani said.
Mr Al Sudani directed a halt on imports of gasoline, diesel and kerosene, according to a statement on Tuesday.
“Following significant efforts over the past three years, after operating new oil refineries as part of the self-sufficiency plan, and given that our domestic production of gasoline, diesel, and kerosene has reached levels exceeding domestic consumption, the Prime Minister has directed the cessation of imports of these products,” the statement added.
Mr Al Sudani also directed the Oil Products Distribution Company to “regulate domestic consumption and allocate the surplus for export”.
Iraq has been struggling with a power crisis for years now. Despite being Opec’s second-largest producer, Iraq is dependent on Iran for about a third of its electricity needs.
Last year, Iraq’s installed capacity stood at about 27,000 megawatts, but summer demand regularly exceeds 45,000MW. This has led to rolling blackouts during peak summer heat, when temperatures top 50°C in southern provinces.
The US's decision in March not to renew a waiver that had allowed Iraq to buy electricity from Iran, as part of US President Donald Trump's “maximum pressure” campaign against Tehran, further worsened the situation.
The shortfall was also worsened this year after Iran reduced natural gas supplies by half to meet domestic demand, cutting nearly 4,000MW from the grid in July.
Global deals
To deal with the situation, Iraq in August signed an emergency deal with Turkey’s Karpowership company to use two vessels – mobile power plants – off the coast of the southern province of Basra.
In April, the country also signed agreements with American companies, GE Vernova and UGT Renewables, to produce 27,000MW of electricity. The US embassy said the deals were worth “billions of dollars” at the time of signing, but did not give further details.
Iraq has also signed a multibillion-dollar deal for a fully integrated energy project with TotalEnergies in the south.
The French company has been investing heavily in Iraq due to its potential, TotalEnergies chairman and chief executive Patrick Pouyanne told Sky News Arabia at Adipec on Tuesday.
"Iraq was for us a big adventure in the last three-four years. I went back to Iraq in 2020 and I'm very proud of the work of the teams because in less than five years we managed to sanction very large projects ... leveraging all our skills."
The initial request from the Iraqi government was to produce more electricity, he said, looking at sourcing it from gas or from solar.
"When you go to Basra in the south of Iraq, you see huge flares, so we are flaring too much gas. So we said, OK, let's capture all this gas, let's stop burning it. Let's clean it and let it be a feedstock for gas plants. Instead of importing, you will have your own resources," Mr Pouyanne said.
On the solar side, the company is also building today a 1 gigawatt plant, with the first phase of 300MW set to be put in production by the start of next year.
"We've done our best in the interests of Iraq ... It's a huge commitment from the company and I think we paved the way for other competitors to come."
Iraq has also signed another deal with Germany's Siemens Energy and is also working on regional electricity interconnections with Jordan and the Gulf region, and on expanding its ties with Turkey. It plans to add 7,000MW from renewable energy by 2030.
Refinery upgradation boost
Iraq's move to upgrade its refineries has helped it become self sufficient in oil products, Palash Jain, Middle East oil analyst at FGE NexantECA told The National at Adipec on Tuesday.
“Iraq mainly imports two oil products. One is gasoline, and the other one is gasoil diesel. In the past two to three years, Iraq has done quite a tremendous job in upgrading their refineries, specifically in Karbala, Basra as well as in Kirkuk.”
Iraq gasoline imports in the first half of this year have come down to about 50,000 barrels per day from nearly 100 to 120,000 bpd till last year because of upgradation of refineries, he added. Iraq imports oil products mainly from the UAE and India.
“The development will help the country to reduce import bills and support economic development.”
More countries are embarking on the refining path because of higher margins involved in the business, according to Claudio Galimberti, chief economist and global market analysis director at Rystad Energy.
“A trend for this region is to become more of a refining hub not just a crude trading hub. So with this, you can expect in the next few years, not just Iraq, but potentially other countries becoming self sufficient,” he said.
“The vertical integration allows the country to capture downstream margins, and downstream margins are significant. I am not surprised that Iraq embarked on this.”
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Coming 2 America
Directed by: Craig Brewer
Starring: Eddie Murphy, Arsenio Hall, Jermaine Fowler, Leslie Jones
3/5 stars
Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere
Director: Scott Cooper
Starring: Jeremy Allen White, Odessa Young, Jeremy Strong
Rating: 4/5
The specs: 2017 Dodge Ram 1500 Laramie Longhorn
Price, base / as tested: Dhxxx
Engine: 5.7L V8
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 395hp @ 5,600rpm
Torque: 556Nm @ 3,950rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 12.7L / 100km
How to apply for a drone permit
- Individuals must register on UAE Drone app or website using their UAE Pass
- Add all their personal details, including name, nationality, passport number, Emiratis ID, email and phone number
- Upload the training certificate from a centre accredited by the GCAA
- Submit their request
What are the regulations?
- Fly it within visual line of sight
- Never over populated areas
- Ensure maximum flying height of 400 feet (122 metres) above ground level is not crossed
- Users must avoid flying over restricted areas listed on the UAE Drone app
- Only fly the drone during the day, and never at night
- Should have a live feed of the drone flight
- Drones must weigh 5 kg or less
SECRET%20INVASION
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Ali%20Selim%20%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Samuel%20L%20Jackson%2C%20Olivia%20Coleman%2C%20Kingsley%20Ben-Adir%2C%20Emilia%20Clarke%20%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%203%2F5%26nbsp%3B%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Fire and Fury
By Michael Wolff,
Henry Holt
THE SIXTH SENSE
Starring: Bruce Willis, Toni Collette, Hayley Joel Osment
Director: M. Night Shyamalan
Rating: 5/5
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3EFounder%3A%20Hani%20Abu%20Ghazaleh%3Cbr%3EBased%3A%20Abu%20Dhabi%2C%20with%20an%20office%20in%20Montreal%3Cbr%3EFounded%3A%202018%3Cbr%3ESector%3A%20Virtual%20Reality%3Cbr%3EInvestment%20raised%3A%20%241.2%20million%2C%20and%20nearing%20close%20of%20%245%20million%20new%20funding%20round%3Cbr%3ENumber%20of%20employees%3A%2012%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Specs
Price, base: Dhs850,000
Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Power: 591bhp @ 7,500rpm
Torque: 760Nm @ 3,000rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 11.3L / 100km
Groom and Two Brides
Director: Elie Samaan
Starring: Abdullah Boushehri, Laila Abdallah, Lulwa Almulla
Rating: 3/5
Tightening the screw on rogue recruiters
The UAE overhauled the procedure to recruit housemaids and domestic workers with a law in 2017 to protect low-income labour from being exploited.
Only recruitment companies authorised by the government are permitted as part of Tadbeer, a network of labour ministry-regulated centres.
A contract must be drawn up for domestic workers, the wages and job offer clearly stating the nature of work.
The contract stating the wages, work entailed and accommodation must be sent to the employee in their home country before they depart for the UAE.
The contract will be signed by the employer and employee when the domestic worker arrives in the UAE.
Only recruitment agencies registered with the ministry can undertake recruitment and employment applications for domestic workers.
Penalties for illegal recruitment in the UAE include fines of up to Dh100,000 and imprisonment
But agents not authorised by the government sidestep the law by illegally getting women into the country on visit visas.
MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW
Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman
Director: Jesse Armstrong
Rating: 3.5/5
IPL 2018 FINAL
Sunrisers Hyderabad 178-6 (20 ovs)
Chennai Super Kings 181-2 (18.3 ovs)
Chennai win by eight wickets
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
Mercedes V250 Avantgarde specs
Engine: 2.0-litre in-line four-cylinder turbo
Gearbox: 7-speed automatic
Power: 211hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 350Nm
Fuel economy, combined: 6.0 l/100 km
Price: Dh235,000
Understand What Black Is
The Last Poets
(Studio Rockers)
RACE CARD
6.30pm Maiden (TB) Dh82.500 (Dirt) 1,400m
7.05pm Handicap (TB) Dh87,500 (D) 1,400m
7.40pm Handicap (TB) Dh92,500 (Turf) 2,410m
8.15pm Handicap (TB) Dh105,000 (D) 1,900m
8.50pm UAE 2000 Guineas Trial (TB) Conditions Dh183,650 (D) 1,600m
9.25pm Dubai Trophy (TB) Conditions Dh183,650 (T) 1,200m
10pm Handicap (TB) Dh102,500 (T) 1,400m
The specS: 2018 Toyota Camry
Price: base / as tested: Dh91,000 / Dh114,000
Engine: 3.5-litre V6
Gearbox: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 298hp @ 6,600rpm
Torque: 356Nm @ 4,700rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 7.0L / 100km
Price, base / as tested From Dh173,775 (base model)
Engine 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo, AWD
Power 249hp at 5,500rpm
Torque 365Nm at 1,300-4,500rpm
Gearbox Nine-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined 7.9L/100km
ABU%20DHABI'S%20KEY%20TOURISM%20GOALS%3A%20BY%20THE%20NUMBERS
%3Cp%3EBy%202030%2C%20Abu%20Dhabi%20aims%20to%20achieve%3A%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3E%E2%80%A2%2039.3%20million%20visitors%2C%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20nearly%2064%25%20up%20from%202023%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3E%E2%80%A2%20Dh90%20billion%20contribution%20to%20GDP%2C%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20about%2084%25%20more%20than%20Dh49%20billion%20in%202023%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3E%E2%80%A2%20178%2C000%20new%20jobs%2C%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20bringing%20the%20total%20to%20about%20366%2C000%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3E%E2%80%A2%2052%2C000%20hotel%20rooms%2C%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20up%2053%25%20from%2034%2C000%20in%202023%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3E%E2%80%A2%207.2%20million%20international%20visitors%2C%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20almost%2090%25%20higher%20compared%20to%202023's%203.8%20million%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3E%E2%80%A2%203.9%20international%20overnight%20hotel%20stays%2C%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2022%25%20more%20from%203.2%20nights%20in%202023%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Three ways to limit your social media use
Clinical psychologist, Dr Saliha Afridi at The Lighthouse Arabia suggests three easy things you can do every day to cut back on the time you spend online.
1. Put the social media app in a folder on the second or third screen of your phone so it has to remain a conscious decision to open, rather than something your fingers gravitate towards without consideration.
2. Schedule a time to use social media instead of consistently throughout the day. I recommend setting aside certain times of the day or week when you upload pictures or share information.
3. Take a mental snapshot rather than a photo on your phone. Instead of sharing it with your social world, try to absorb the moment, connect with your feeling, experience the moment with all five of your senses. You will have a memory of that moment more vividly and for far longer than if you take a picture of it.
