Recently, the Iraq Public Seawater Supply Project (CSSP) has officially started construction, and the development of the Latavi Oilfield (Altawi Oilfield) has also been fully launched. These two projects are the last two major contracts of the Gas Growth Integrated Project (GGIP), marking a new stage for GGIP.

GGIP is led by France's TotalEnergies, which holds a 45% stake in the project as the operator, with Iraq's state-owned Basra Oil Company holding a 30% stake and Qatar Energy Company holding a 25% stake. At the project launch event held in Baghdad, senior officials including Patrick Puyane, Chairman and CEO of Total, Saad Sherida Al Khaabi, State Minister for Energy Affairs and President and CEO of Qatar Energy Company, attended. TotalEnergies stated that GGIP's natural gas, solar, oil, and water components have all entered the execution phase.

CSSP is located near the town of Umm Qasr on the coast of Iraq. After completion, it can process and transport 5 million barrels of seawater per day to major oil fields in southern Iraq, replacing the freshwater currently extracted from the Tigris River, Euphrates River, and aquifers to maintain oil well pressure. This project is expected to alleviate the local water shortage problem, releasing up to 250000 cubic meters of fresh water per day for irrigation and agriculture.

The reconstruction project of Latavi Oilfield will be launched in September 2023. The first phase goal is to increase the daily oil production to 120000 barrels, with an expected start of production in early 2026; After the second phase of comprehensive development, the daily production will increase to 210000 barrels by early 2028, with no conventional combustion emissions. The 160000 cubic feet per day of relevant gas generated will be fully processed by the 300000 cubic feet per day natural gas midstream project (GMP) to be built in early 2025. The natural gas processing plant will also process natural gas from two other oil fields in southern Iraq, deliver it to the national power grid, and provide fuel for power plants. The power generation capacity is about 1.5 gigawatts, which can meet the electricity needs of 1.5 million Iraqi households. An early production facility will be operational in early 2026, synchronized with the start of Ratawi Phase I oil production.

In addition, Enka Company of Türkiye has signed a contract to develop the second phase of central processing facilities in Latavi oilfield. Puyane stated that in less than two years, Total and its partners have fully fulfilled their commitments to the Iraqi people and launched all aspects of the multi energy GGIP project. These projects will make significant contributions to the Iraqi economy, employing 7000 Iraqi nationals during the construction phase. Editor/Cheng Liting