The Undersecretary of the Ministry of Oil for Gas Affairs, Izzat Saber Ismail has opened the second platform for exporting condensates and liquefied natural gas (LNG) at Um Qasr in Al Basra.

He said that this platform will provide flexibility while exporting LNG and condensates, which currently amount to 50,000 tons per month, and it is hoped that by the beginning of 2025 it will reach 80,000 tons per month.

He noted that with the increase in production rates it will reach 125,000 tons per.

The Undersecretary added that the ministry is implementing a number of strategic projects to invest associated gas in a number of oil fields, indicating that gas investment rates will rise to 70% by the end of this year.

During the opening ceremony, Hamza Abdul-Baqi, Director General of the South Gas Company stated that the ministry is implementing several promising projects for natural gas investments. He pointed to the joint efforts with Basra Gas Company in achieving surplus rates from the local consumption of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG).

This gas is different from the gas that is imported to operate power plants or that is used in petrochemical industries, cement industries, and others, he elaborated.

For his part, Marfaa Kadhim al-Asadi, Deputy Director of Basra Gas Company said that the second platform includes four loading arms, which provide flexibility and increase export processes, explaining, “Two arms with a capacity of 2400 cubic meters per hour to load butane and propane, and two arms with a capacity of 4800 cubic meters per hour to load condensates, compared to 500 cubic meters per hour which is the capacity of the third platform from which exports are currently taking place.”