By:Zawya

Iraq has reached self-sufficiency in gas oil (diesel) and aims to eliminate gas flaring by 2028, Oil Minister Hayan Abdul Ghani has said.

Speaking in Basra during a visit to the Oil Training Institute on Sunday, Abdul Ghani said gas capture rates improved from 53 per cent at the start of the current government to 67 per cent at present and are expected to reach 70 per cent by the end of 2025.

“We will fully end flaring and utilise all associated gas by 2028,” the minister said, adding that Iraq is diversifying its gas imports beyond Iran.

A 40-kilometre pipeline has been completed in Basra, and another 75-km line from Mahmudiyah to Bismayah will be finished this month despite delays, he said.

He revealed that Iraq is in talks to import 500 to 750 million cubic feet of liquefied gas to power electricity stations.

Diesel reserves now exceed one million cubic meters—five times previous levels—according to Abdul Ghani.

The minister noted that fuel imports, which once cost $5 billion annually, have dropped sharply, with only gasoline still being imported. “Gasoline imports will end by the close of this year,” he said.