ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq - Iraq’s Oil Minister Hayyan Abdul Ghani says Baghdad will stop importing gasoline in the coming months as domestic production increases.

The announcement came during a visit to the South Refineries Company, where the minister inspected the Fluid Catalytic Cracking (FCC) project in Basra. He said the project will raise production of white oil products, especially gasoline, helping reduce imports to very low levels.

The minister led a meeting with the company’s general director, Hussam Hussein Wali, and representatives from the company executing the project. They reviewed the progress and stressed the importance of completing the project on time.

“This project is a big step forward in both quality and quantity for oil products, especially gasoline, and it supports Iraq’s national economy,” Abdul Ghani said.

According to the minister, the FCC project will produce between 4,200 and 4,500 cubic meters per day of high-octane gasoline and gas oil that meets European standards. Once completed, gasoline imports will drop to 2,000 to 3,000 cubic meters per day, down from 16,000 cubic meters daily.

He detailed that recent projects over the past two years, including the Karbala refinery, have already helped increase local production by 7,000 to 8,000 cubic meters daily, cutting imports to 4,000 to 5,000 cubic meters.

The minister of oil said other projects are in the testing phase, especially in northern Iraq, including the Kirkuk refinery, which is expected to produce at least 1,600 cubic meters of gasoline.

These two projects together will stop the need for gasoline imports. Two years ago, Iraq spent more than $5 billion on white oil product imports. That number is now under $1 billion, the minister detailed.

The FCC project is funded by a Japanese loan and managed by Japanese oil companies. It is now in the final stages before trial operations.

The minister said the gas oil production unit will begin trial operations in mid-August 2025, and the gasoline unit will begin a month later. The whole project will be completed by mid-September 2025.