Baghdad: Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani led the twenty-second regular session of the Council of Ministers, focusing on key national issues, including electricity and gas imports, along with other strategic decisions.

According to National Iraqi News Agency, the session addressed the general situation in the country and reviewed the implementation of the government program. The Council deliberated on the agenda topics and enacted several important measures. Among these, the Council approved the Eid al-Adha holiday period, set from June 6 to June 10, with work resuming on June 11 and 12. Additionally, official work will be suspended on June 15 for Eid al-Ghadir.

To tackle electricity shortages during the summer, the Council decided to partner with the Karpower Alliance to add 650 megawatts of capacity by deploying generating ships. This initiative aims to mitigate the electricity production gap during peak summer demand. Furthermore, the Council sanctioned the construction of a floating regasification platform (FSRU) to supply the Bismayah Gas Plant with liquefied natural gas, designed to handle 750 million standard cubic feet per day.

The Council also approved a component for equipping electric pumps across multiple governorates, involving the purchase of 70 floating pumps from investment plan allocations. This decision will increase the project’s total cost. Additionally, the Ministry of Electricity received authorization to sign a contract addendum for inspecting and maintaining two steam turbines, which will also raise the project cost. The Director General of the General Company for Electricity Production in the Central Region was granted authority to sign this contract addendum.

In a move to enhance investment opportunities, the Council agreed to release 3 trillion dinars, allocated by the Ministry of Finance, to fund investment projects across various governorates and ministries. In the oil sector, the Council approved a recommendation from the Sovereign Guarantees Committee concerning the Bin Omar field project in Basra Governorate.

The Council also sanctioned an exception for the investment of 10% to be added to the investor holding the investment license. This is contingent upon the owning entity and the National Investment Authority amending the investment license and land exploitation contract.