Shell, via its Basrah Gas Company JV, is critical to Iraq’s hopes of ending its environmentally and economically catastrophic gas flaring practices. Shell Iraq chief Ali al-Janabi tells MEES that as Iraq looks to ramp up gas processing, BGC is the obvious choice.
Basrah Gas Company (Shell 44%, South Gas Company 51%, Mitsubishi 5%) was established in 2013 to process gas captured at Iraq’s first licensing round fields (LR1) of Rumaila, Zubair and West Qurna-1 (MEES, 3 May 2013). It has the capacity to process 1bn cfd and is expanding to 1.4bn cfd by end-2023 through the $1.3bn 400mn cfd Basrah NGL (BNGL) plant. Earlier this year it secured a $360mn loan led by the World Bank’s International Finance Corporation (IFC) for the project (MEES, 2 July). BGC also this year secured government approval for a long delayed $3bn strategic business plan (MEES, 7 May). (CONTINUED - 1283 WORDS)
