Category: flaring

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Aggreko completes Flare-Gas-to-Power plant in KRI

UK-based Aggreko has announced that it has completed commissioning of the largest flare-gas-to-power project in the Middle East to date at 165 MW capacity.

The plant is situated nearby the Saqala [Sarqala] Field, Garmain block, South East Kurdistan.

The 165 MW modular power plant has run at full capacity for 72 hours in the project’s final site acceptance test (SAT), marking successful on-time, on-budget delivery.

The plant is run on approximately 40 million square cubic feet (SCF) per day of associated petroleum gas (APG) from the Saqala Field, saving 840 tonnes of CO2 per day, and cutting flaring by a third.

Delivered over the course of 2020-2021 against the backdrop of the pandemic, the project was conceived and executed in close collaboration with Kurdistan’s Ministry of National Resources (MNR) and Ministry of Electricity (MOE).

Aggreko also delivered a new 6km gathering pipeline to transport the APG to the power plant, and upgraded 7km of 33 kV and 33km of 132 kV overhead cables to new high tensile low sage (HTLS) conductors in order for the local distribution grid to handle the new power plant’s full output.

Ahmed Mufti, Kurdistan Regional Government’s Deputy Minister of Natural Resources (MNR) said:

“We worked with Aggreko to provide a creative solution to convert flare gas to power in a way that directly benefits the local population and the regional in general, while creating a positive environmental impact and improving air quality.”

Phil Burns, Managing Director for Aggreko Middle East, comments:

“Kurdistan’s Regional Government has been forward-thinking in looking for ways to capture and convert gas that would otherwise be flared, to unlock production and power the local economy. We are extremely proud to have worked with the Ministries to deliver the Middle East’s largest flare gas to power project to date, while upgrading the local infrastructure to the lasting benefit of the community and businesses it serves.”

The project is now contracted to run for four years, delivering power 24/7/365.

Built using 192 MW of modular gas generators, the plant can easily be scaled up or down in response to changing gas volumes.

Approximately 60 Aggreko engineers have delivered the project, with 80 local jobs created directly and indirectly for the site’s delivery and ongoing operation, including 44 local nationals who have already commenced Aggreko’s official training scheme.

More here.

(Source: Aggreko)

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Iraq to Invest in Greener Technology

By John Lee.

Iraq reportedly plans to invest $3 billion annually to transition from burning liquids to burning natural gas in its power plants.

Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister, Ali Allawi (pictured), told the Middle East Green Initiative Forum in Saudi Arabia that Iraq will also end gas flaring by 2025.

He also recommitted Iraq to working towards a greener future.

More here.

(Sources: The National, Arab News)

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Shell “in talks” to boost Iraq’s Gas Production

By John Lee.

Shell is reported to be in talks with Iraq to boost Basra Gas Company‘s capacity.

According to S&P Global Platts, BGC is planning to increase capacity for gas production from 1 billion cubic feet per day (Bcf/d) now to 1.4 Bcf/d in two years; discussions with Shell could see that increase further to 2 Bcf/d.

A statement in May from Iraq’s Ministry of Oil said that Iraq will invest $3 billion in BGC over the next five years, increasing gas production capacity from 1 Bcf/d to 1.4 Bcf/d this year, and further to 2.4 Bcf/d by 2025.

Shell is also said to be continuing negotiations with Iraq over the giant Nibras [Nebras] petrochemical plant, which was initially agreed in 2015.

More here.

(Source: S&P Global Platts)

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Baker Hughes to help Capture Gas at Iraq’s Southern Oil Fields

By John Lee.

Iraq’s South Gas Company (SGC) has announced a project to capture gas at the Nasiriyah and Garraf [Gharraf] oil fields, in partnership with the American company Baker Hughes.

Instead of flaring, the gas will be used to increase electricity generation, while reducing the environmental impact of oil production.

The project will also help reduce Iraq’s dependence on gas imported from Iran.

(Source:  Ministry of Oil)

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Iraqi Cabinet Approves TotalEnergies’ Projects

By John Lee.

The Iraqi cabinet has approved the agreement between the Ministry of Oil and French company TotalEnergies to implement four major energy projects in the country:

  1. Plants to collect and refine associated natural gas at the fields of Artawi [Ratawi], West Qurna 2, Majnoon, Tuba [Subba] and Lahais [Luhais]. This will include a Central Gas Complex at Artawi;
  2. Development of the Artawi field;
  3. The integrated seawater project [Common Seawater Supply Project (CSSP)?], which the ministry has been trying to implement for more than ten years; and,
  4. A 1,000MW solar energy plant.

The project was originally agreed in March.

(Source: Govt of Iraq)

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Iraq Borrows $360m to Reduce Gas Flaring

The International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank Group, is investing in Basrah Gas Company (BGC) to support one of the largest gas flaring reduction projects in the world, helping to improve energy access, prevent associated greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and support a more resilient, sustainable energy sector in Iraq.

BGC is an Iraqi joint venture created to treat and process associated gas that would otherwise be flared. The project is expected to increase BGC’s processing capacity, thereby avoiding more unnecessary flaring and associated GHG emissions by around 10 million tons per annum. It will support Iraq’s transition to a lower carbon path and improve access to a domestic energy source, helping the country meet its growing power needs.

IFC is the lead arranger of the five-year, $360 million loan to BGC.

Ihsan Abdul Jabbar Ismail, Minister of Oil for Iraq, said:

“Signing the loan agreement reinforces the collective efforts to increase investment in associated gas flaring reduction using world-class technologies. It is in line with our objectives of turning flared gas into cleaner valuable energy and reducing the impact of the Green House Gas emissions on the environment.

“This loan opens new horizons for cooperation and collaboration that serve common purposes and interests, reiterating Iraq’s commitment to increasing investment in associated gas flaring reduction and to achieving the objectives set by the Paris Agreement.“

Malcolm Mayes, BGC Managing Director, said:

“We are delighted to have successfully signed this loan with IFC, the first loan facility of its kind in the energy sector in Iraq-a milestone to be proud of.

“The agreement demonstrates the strength of Iraqi companies and their ability to attract funding and trust from international banks. The intent of this five-year loan is to support BGC’s growth project and turn the otherwise wasted flared gas into much needed energy for the country. Our strategy is in alignment with the government of Iraq’s vision to power Iraqi homes with electricity and create a more sustainable energy industry.“

Sérgio Pimenta, IFC Vice President for the Middle East and Africa, said:

“This pioneering project has the potential to deliver significant environmental and economic benefits, including lower GHG emissions and increased fiscal revenues, and will improve energy access and lower costs for Iraqi citizens.

“The project comes after years of hard work and strong cooperation by all parties involved. We hope that it will send a strong signal to other investors and help drive more private investments to tackle climate change and support inclusive growth in Iraq.“

IFC’s investment comprises a $137.76 million loan for IFC’s own account, a $180 million loan in which participations were syndicated to eight international banks (Bank of China, Citi, Deutsche Bank AG, Industrial Commercial Bank of China, Natixis, Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation, Société Générale and Standard Chartered Bank), and a $42.24 million loan through IFC’s Managed Co-Lending Portfolio Program, a platform that allows institutional investors to participate in IFC’s loan portfolio. The loan is without recourse to or guarantees from any of the shareholders.

Iraq is endowed with significant reserves of natural gas, mainly produced as a byproduct of legacy oil extraction. However, in the absence of adequate infrastructure to capture and process it, about 70 percent of all natural gas produced in the country is flared. Capturing associated gas for subsequent use can help Iraq reduce overall emissions.

The project benefits from long-standing engagements of the World Bank Group in Iraq’s energy sector. Iraq joined the Global Gas Flaring Reduction initiative in 2011 and committed in 2013 to eliminate all routine natural gas flaring by 2030.

(Sources: IFC, Iraqi Govt)

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Iraq to Exploit Massive Natural Gas Reserves

Iraq Moves To Exploit Its Massive Natural Gas Reserves

Writing in Oil Price, Simon Watkins says that despite Iraq’s huge potential gas resources, it has made little progress on developing this potential either for associated or non-associated gas.

But last week, a heads-of-agreement deal was announced with Total, to work jointly on four major projects that include developing the associated gas sector.

Click here to read the full story.

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Iraq signs 4 Major Energy Deals with Total

By John Lee.

Iraq’s Ministry of Oil has signs an agreement of principles with the French company Total for four major energy projects in the country:

  1. Plants to collect and refine associated natural gas at the fields of Artawi [Ratawi], West Qurna 2, Majnoon, Tuba [Subba] and Lahais [Luhais]. This will include a Central Gas Complex at Artawi;
  2. Development of the Artawi field;
  3. The integrated seawater project [Common Seawater Supply Project (CSSP)?], which the ministry has been trying to implement for more than ten years; and,
  4. A 1,000MW solar energy plant.

Full statement here (Arabic)

(Source: Ministry of Oil)

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DNO Starts Gas Capture in Kurdistan

DNO ASA, the Norwegian oil and gas operator, today announced that the USD 110 million Peshkabir Gas Capture and Injection Project in its Tawke license in the Kurdistan region of Iraq is onstream and has reached the one billion cubic feet of gas injection milestone.

The project is expected to reduce annual emissions from the Company’s operated production by over 300,000 tonnes of CO2 equivalent, offsetting the emissions from some 150,000 automobiles.

Engineering and construction were launched in mid-2018 and commissioning completed in mid-2020 in what is the first gas capture and storage project in Kurdistan. Some 20 million cubic feet a day of previously flared gas at the Peshkabir field is gathered, treated and transported 80 kilometers by pipeline to the Tawke field where it is injected for storage and reservoir pressure recharging.

Effective June 2020, the project halves the average carbon intensity of the Company’s operated production from 14 kilograms CO2 equivalent for each barrel of oil equivalent produced (kg CO2e/boe) to an average of 7 kg CO2e/boe. This compares to the target set by a group of 12 of the world’s largest oil companies comprising the Oil and Gas Climate Initiative (OGCI) to reduce the average carbon intensity of their aggregated upstream oil and gas operations to between 20-21 kg CO2e/boe by 2025 from a collective baseline of 23 kg CO2e/boe in 2017.

“Gas injection and the associated carbon capture and storage is proven, practical and potentially profitable,” said Bijan Mossavar-Rahmani, DNO’s Executive Chairman. “Our project was completed on schedule and on budget notwithstanding the challenges of working in what is still a frontier oil and gas operating environment and the obstacles posed in the late stages by the Covid-19 pandemic,” he added.

Gas flaring at the Peshkabir field has been reduced by over 75 percent, with work underway to reduce it further. Any Peshkabir field injected gas produced at the Tawke field will be recovered and recycled into the latter or used as fuel to displace diesel.

Reservoir models suggest gas injection will increase gross Tawke field recoverable volume by 15 to 80 million barrels of oil, of which 23 million barrels are included in the gross proven and probable (2P) Tawke field reserves in the DNO 2019 Annual Statement of Reserves and Resources.

DNO’s greenhouse gas emissions increased following commencement of production from the Peshkabir field in 2017 as the oil contains a relatively high associated gas content. Flaring from the Peshkabir field was the largest single contributor to DNO’s total 2019 greenhouse gas emissions of 639,200 tonnes of CO2e.

Mr. Mossavar-Rahmani announced the launch of a new initiative to more actively measure, monitor and mitigate methane leakages at DNO’s operated sites, noting that while CO2 emissions from oil and gas operations receive the greatest attention, methane emissions are a significant but underreported source of greenhouse gas with an impact 25 times greater than CO2 on a 100-year horizon.

DNO operates the Tawke license containing the Tawke and Peshkabir fields with a 75 percent interest; partner Genel Energy plc holds the remaining 25 percent.

The Company will publish its Corporate Social Responsibility Report, which covers greenhouse gas emissions developments and strategies, next week.

(Source: DNO)

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$8bn New Iraqi Energy Agreements with US Firms

The following commercial agreements worth as much as $8 billion were reached during a signing ceremony between U.S. energy companies and the Government of Iraq on August 19, 2020:

  • Honeywell and the Ministry of Oil agreed to advance the development of the Ar Ratawi [Artawi] gas project, which will further enable Iraq to capture, process, and utilize indigenous gas resources to meet domestic energy demand.
  • General Electric and the Ministry of Electricity committed to three agreements that will help increase reliable access to electricity in Iraq, including efforts related to GE’s existing generation maintenance program, addition of combined cycle units at the Dhi Qar and Samawah power plants, and collaboration on strengthening Iraq’s electricity grid and interconnection with neighboring countries.
  • Stellar Energy and the Ministry of Electricity concluded a front-end engineering and design agreement that will help advance deployment of turbine inlet air chilling technology on more than 30 turbines, which will increase power sector efficiency by as much as 30 percent.
  • Baker Hughes and the Ministry of Oil agreed to further collaboration on flare gas-to-power opportunities, and deployment of U.S. oil field services and equipment.
  • Chevron and the Iraqi Ministry of Oil outlined a framework for entering into exclusive negotiating on an exploration, development, and production contract in the Dhi Qar Province.

US Secretary of Energy Dan Brouillette (pictured) said:

“As two of the top oil producers in the world, the United States and Iraq share an appreciation for how energy shapes our economies and can strengthen our respective security.

“That is why I was thrilled to join Prime Minster Kadhimi, Minister Ismael, and Minister Hantoush today for an event featuring this prestigious Iraqi delegation and our great American energy companies. Together, we laid the groundwork for commercial partnerships worth up to $8 billion.

“These deals are key to Iraq’s energy future, and I am confident that the same companies that have empowered the United States to become energy independent will deploy their deep expertise to help Iraq achieve its full potential in the energy sector.“

(Source: US Dept of Energy)