Iraqi Oil Minister addresses energy crossroads at SSOP 2022

Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) – Iraqi Oil Minister, Ihsan Abdul-Jabbar Ismail, recently took part of the South Sudan Oil&Power (SSOP) 2022 conference via a recorded video.

Ismail discussed the impact of COVID-19, geopolitical strife, and climate change on the development of sustainable energy sources as well as the prospect for increased energy cooperation between Europe, the Middle East, and East Africa.

“The world’s eyes are turning to energy producers. Global power demand is projected to grow by 50% by 2040, which means that it is imperative that energy is affordable, even in complex and dynamic environments,” said Ismail.

Iraq, the fourth-largest producer of oil in the world, has been attempting to reconcile the growth of hydrocarbons with its effort to decrease carbon emissions, considering both energy security and worries about the energy transition.

“South Sudan’s oil plans need to maximize investment and focus on fields with high gas availability to supply the local market and reduce oil consumption. Iraq has the same challenges, in terms of using local fuel for power generation,” said Ismail.

Ismail emphasized how technology, information sharing, and the exchange of best practices help nations like South Sudan, which has the third-largest oil reserves in sub-Saharan Africa, to fully use their hydrocarbon resources.

“Technology development can assist in securing energy by eliminating emissions from oil consumption and improving efficiency. Digitalization will be key to making oil production and oil generation efficient and helping manufacturers reduce waste,” added Ismail. “We would like to underscore that Iraq has a wide range of oil exploration capacity and knowledge that can be shared with our friends in South Sudan.”