A tanker carrying 1 million barrels of crude oil from Iraqi Kurdistan reportedly just rounded the Florida pan handle and is scheduled to land in Galveston, Texas. The buyer is unclear and Iraq’s official crude oil marketer SOMO is threatening to sue anyone purchasing the cargoes, which the government in Baghdad views as violating the… Keep reading →
The situation on the ground in Iraq is sketchy, with conflicting reports about the extent to which the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant has advanced and how much territory now controlled by the group. The Sunni Al Qaeda splinter group reportedly took control of the northern city of Mosul and overran the Turkish… Keep reading →
Iraq’s Oil Ministry is taking legal action against The Republic of Turkey and state-owned pipeline operator BOTAŞ, further ratcheting up tensions between Baghdad and the Kurdish Regional Government over oil exports. The ministry filed an arbitration request with the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) in Paris in response to reports that oil pumped from Iraqi… Keep reading →
Iraqis headed to the polls today to vote in national parliamentary elections that will decide who sits on the Council of Representatives for the next four-year term. The complicated process of new government formation and presidential selection will then unfold over the coming months. There is clearly much at stake domestically and regionally. The degree… Keep reading →
Washington has rightfully avoided backing a candidate in next week’s [today’s] elections, but it should still use counterterrorism assistance and other levers to push Baghdad on pluralism and KRG oil revenue sharing during the presumably lengthy transition period. On April 30, the Iraqi public will vote in national parliamentary elections, establishing the next four-year term… Keep reading →
The long-running dispute over oil exports between the Kurdistan Regional Government and Iraqi federal leadership in Baghdad rattles on, with Turkey becoming increasingly vocal. Iraqi officials have yet to cement a national oil law that would standardize regulations covering exports and revenue distribution from oil shipped via pipeline from Iraqi Kurdistan to Turkey, where it… Keep reading →
An oil export agreement between Iraqi Kurdistan and central government leadership in Baghdad is expected in days according to reports. The two sides have been meeting at a conference in Turkey. A new pipeline is being constructed that is expected to transport 1 million barrels of oil per day from Kurdistan to Turkey for export… Keep reading →
States are battling to entice Tesla Motors to construct a $5 billion lithium-ion battery plant within their borders that could bring as many as 6,500 jobs. This Greentech Media article highlights recent news coming from each potential location – Texas, Nevada, New Mexico and Arizona – and suggests reasons why the factory should be built… Keep reading →
Unrest in Turkey could upset Kurdish and Israeli plans to develop, and ultimately export, oil and gas respectively. [Quartz] Shareholder activism – rather, activism by select shareholders – is upsetting energy company executives’ plans to hold on to their jobs until they choose to leave. [WSJ] Competition from independent Russian gas producers, such as Novatek,… Keep reading →
