Baghdad:Deputy Prime Minister for Energy Affairs Mohsen Al-Mandlawi emphasized the importance of finalizing and activating contracts with Chevron and ExxonMobil to enhance oil production.

According to Iraqi News Agency, Al-Mandlawi led an extensive meeting on Monday evening, which included the ministers of oil and electricity, senior Ministry of Oil officials, the Director General of the State Organization for Marketing of Oil (SOMO), and various undersecretaries and director generals.

The meeting focused on strategies to strengthen the oil sector’s capabilities, increase production and exports, and address challenges related to the Strait of Hormuz crisis impacting oil export operations. Al-Mandlawi highlighted the need for the contracts and memoranda of understanding with the two American companies to be completed in order to boost crude oil production capacity and daily export volumes. Additionally, discussions included finding new export outlets and routes for delivering Iraqi oil to global markets.

The meeting also covered the electricity sector’s requirements, technical needs for upgrading distribution networks, agreements for securing gas supplies, and future development plans for the electricity sector in preparation for the upcoming summer. These actions align with governmental priorities and efforts to improve citizen services.

The importance of activating plans to rehabilitate and develop oil pipelines and infrastructure projects was underscored. Al-Mandlawi stressed the necessity to meet the requirements of oil companies operating in Iraqi fields and to resolve any obstacles hindering their operations, aiming for increased production rates and capacity enhancements in response to current challenges.