Can Iraq Finally Become A Global Petrochemicals Powerhouse? By Simon Watkins

With its vast oil and gas resources, there is no fundamental reason why Iraq cannot become a world-class producer of high-value petrochemicals. In the process, it would benefit enormously from huge revenues from these value-added products and from putting a large part of the gas it currently flares to good use. There have been plans to do just this in place for several years, m

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Iraq export pipeline closure wreaks havoc on Kurdish region economy

Losses resulting from shutdown of conduit to Turkey estimated at more than $4 billion The once-thriving oil industry in the northern Kurdish region of Iraq has ground to a halt as the closure of the export pipeline to Turkey, now in its sixth month, continues, inflicting economic devastation. In late March, Turkey halted flows of oil produced in the region after an arbitrat

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