MOSCOW (MRC) -- French giant TotalEnergies signed a USD27-billion contract to invest in oil, gas and solar production in Iraq Sunday, as the country faces an acute energy crisis, according to France24.
The announcement of the deal, supposed in part to reduce Iraq's reliance on fossil fuels, came as Oil Minister Ihsan Ismail signed the contract at a Baghdad ceremony with TotalEnergies chief Patrick Pouyanne.
TotalEnergies has not directly confirmed to AFP the value or duration of the contract, which was signed after months of negotiations and several visits by Pouyanne. But the French major plans initially to invest USD10 billion in infrastructure, the proceeds of which will then allow a second round of investments of USD17 billion, the officials said.
"This is the largest investment in Iraq by a Western company," Ismail said. "Implementing these projects is the challenge we face now."
Iraq has immense reserves of oil and gas. Despite being the number two producer in the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, it is experiencing an acute energy crisis and chronic blackouts that fuel social discontent.
Officials justify the lack of investment and the dilapidated state of its energy network by citing falling oil prices, which represent more than 90% of state revenue.
As MRC informed previously, in June 2021, TotalEnergies and Novatek signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to jointly work on sustainable reductions of the CO emission resulting from the production of liquefied natural gas (LNG) including with the use of renewable power, to develop large-scale carbon capture and storage solutions (CCS) and to explore new opportunities for developing decarbonized hydrogen and ammonia.
We remind that in November 2019, Total disclosed that it is evaluating construction of a new gas cracker at its Deasan, South Korea, joint venture (JV) with Hanwha Chemical.
Ethylene and propylene are the main feedstocks for the production of polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP), respectively.
According to MRC's ScanPlast report, Russia's estimated PE consumption totalled 1,176,860 tonnes in the first half of 2021, up by 5% year on year. Shipments of exclusively low density polyethylene (LDPE) decreased. At the same time, PP shipments to the Russian market were 727,160 tonnes in the first six months of 2021, up by 31% year on year. Supply of homopolymer PP and block-copolymers of propylene (PP block copolymers) increased. Supply of statistical copolymers of propylene (PP random copolymers) subsided.
TotalEnergies is a broad energy company that produces and markets energies on a global scale: oil and biofuels, natural gas and green gases, renewables, and electricity. The company rebranded itself from Total to TotalEnergies during Q2 2021. The French firm has announced allocating part of surplus revenues to share buybacks. Its 105,000 employees are committed to energy that is ever more affordable, clean, reliable and accessible to as many people as possible. Active in more than 130 countries, TotalEnergies puts sustainable development in all its dimensions at the heart of its projects and operations to contribute to the well-being of people.
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