The French company is targeting to produce and process 600mcf/d from the natural gas asset
TotalEnergies secures Iraqi government’s approval for the Ratawi gas project. (Credit: Anita starzycka from Pixabay)
French oil and gas firm TotalEnergies has been granted approval from the Iraqi cabinet for developing the Ratawi gas project in the country.
TotalEnergies is targeting to produce and process 600 million standard cubic feet of gas per day (mcf/d) from the Ratawi natural gas hub, reported the Iraqi News Agency, citing a government spokesman.
Under the project, the French company has plans to build a natural gas production facility to produce gas at the Artawi (Ratawi), West Qurna 2, Luhais, Majnoon, and Tuba fields.
The Ratawi gas project is expected to have a production of 300mcf/d during its first phase. This capacity will be doubled after executing a second phase of development.
Apart from Ratawi, the Iraqi cabinet has approved three more projects to be taken up by TotalEnergies. The French energy major had signed a deal in March 2021 with the Iraqi Oil Ministry for making a multi-billion dollar investment in four energy projects located in the southern part of the country.
Another oil and gas-related project approved by the Iraqi cabinet involves the ramping up of production from the Artawi oilfield by TotalEnergies to 200,000 barrels per day of oil (bpd). Presently, the Artawi field has been producing 60,000bpd.
The Iraqi cabinet had also approved the French energy company’s plans to take over a seawater injection project. Put on hold for almost a decade, the project is said to be vital to the development of oilfields in southern Iraq, which contribute the most to the country’s production.
The seawater injection project will have an initial capacity of treating 2.5 million barrels of seawater per day with a goal to partially flush oil to the surface. It has been designed to help neutralise the declines in output from the Rumaila, Majnoon, West Qurna, Zubair, and other fields in Iraq.
The fourth project that TotalEnergies will undertake is a 1GW solar power plant, which is expected to help Iraq boost its renewable energy generation.