KRG, Iran to boost energy cooperation

Iraq’s Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) says it has serious plans to promote cooperation with Iran over energy issues.

Iran’s media have quoted a KRG official in Tehran as saying that the region is currently working with Iran over the imports of oil products as well as natural gas.

Mohammad Seddiq Ahmad, a high KRG representative to Iran, has been quoted as saying that the region wants Iran’s natural gas for domestic consumption as well as the generation of electricity.

“Iran and KRG have been studying the project to pipe Iranian gas to northern Iraq over the past few years,” Seddiq Ahmad has been quoted by the Persian-language newspaper Ta’adol as saying. “Even the routes of the pipeline as well as the required investments have been determined”.

The official further added that the project is currently facing a delay, adding that the delay has been caused as the result of the deterioration of insecurity in northern Iraq caused by ISIL terrorists.

Ta’adol has also quoted some unnamed KRG officials as saying that the region is working on a scheme to export its crude oil to Iran to be refined and in return receive oil products.