ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq - Iraqi Oil Minister Hayyan Abdul Ghani on Monday said that that the country was heading toward investing 70 percent of flare gas captures by the end of 2025.

“The ministry has reached contracts for all the gas currently being flared,” Abdul Ghani told state media, adding that “the percentage of [flared] gas being invested has reached approximately 67 percent, and this rate is expected to rise to 70 percent by the end of this year.”

Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia' al-Sudani in January unveiled a plan by the government to eliminate gas flaring completely by 2028, during his inauguration of a series of oil sector projects in Baiji, Salahaddin province.

“By 2028, gas flaring will cease across Iraq, and this energy will be converted into useful energy,” said the oil minister. “These steps are part of the agenda of the federal government and the Ministry of Oil.”

Despite producing over three billion cubic feet of natural gas daily, Iraq continues to flare a substantial portion due to inadequate processing infrastructure. 

The oil minister pointed out that the projects aim to provide fuel to operate power plants. This is especially important in the context of Iraq's struggles to meet the demands of its power grid, especially as summer months are looming, during which demands for power significantly increase.

Iraq spends nearly $4 billion annually on gas and electricity imports from Iran while struggling to efficiently utilize its own resources.