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Guest
A new report out today from the International Energy Agency (IEA) that forecasts the potential for vastly increased oil production out of Iraq.
Iraq used to be a major oil power, but years of anti-Saddam sanctions in the 1990s and the 2003 U.S. war and its destructive aftermath reduce production to nothing.
Oil production has picked up significantly recently, however, reaching 3 million barrels a day, enough to help offset the loss of Iranian oil.
Now the IEA suggests that Iraq could produce much, much more.
The report suggest that with the right investment, Iraq can be expected to double oil production to 6.1 million barrels a day by 2020, and could reach up to 8.3 million barrels a day by 2030.
If that happens it would make Iraq—not the U.S., Canada or any other country—by far the largest contributor to global oil supply growth.
For a thirsty Chinese economy, Iraq—well situated geographically—could be a major supplier.
In the supply side of the global oil equation, Iraq is by far the most important player. How much additional oil Iraq can bring to production will have an enormous effect on oil markets.
It’s not just that Iraq has a lot of oil—the third-largest conventional resources in the world.
It’s that Iraqi oil is much cheaper to produce than the costly unconventional oil that politicians like Romney are counting on in the U.S. and Canada.
That means Iraq can scale up productions significantly without bankrupting itself—and it can sell that oil at the world market without fear that they might lose money should prices suddenly drop.
(Unconventional oil like Canadian oil sands and U.S. shale oil tends only to be profitable if oil prices remain high, which is one reason why tapping those supplies won’t automatically lead to cheap gasoline at the pumps.)
Iraq is a major new energy powerhouse.
Iraq used to be a major oil power, but years of anti-Saddam sanctions in the 1990s and the 2003 U.S. war and its destructive aftermath reduce production to nothing.
Oil production has picked up significantly recently, however, reaching 3 million barrels a day, enough to help offset the loss of Iranian oil.
Now the IEA suggests that Iraq could produce much, much more.
The report suggest that with the right investment, Iraq can be expected to double oil production to 6.1 million barrels a day by 2020, and could reach up to 8.3 million barrels a day by 2030.
If that happens it would make Iraq—not the U.S., Canada or any other country—by far the largest contributor to global oil supply growth.
For a thirsty Chinese economy, Iraq—well situated geographically—could be a major supplier.
In the supply side of the global oil equation, Iraq is by far the most important player. How much additional oil Iraq can bring to production will have an enormous effect on oil markets.
It’s not just that Iraq has a lot of oil—the third-largest conventional resources in the world.
It’s that Iraqi oil is much cheaper to produce than the costly unconventional oil that politicians like Romney are counting on in the U.S. and Canada.
That means Iraq can scale up productions significantly without bankrupting itself—and it can sell that oil at the world market without fear that they might lose money should prices suddenly drop.
(Unconventional oil like Canadian oil sands and U.S. shale oil tends only to be profitable if oil prices remain high, which is one reason why tapping those supplies won’t automatically lead to cheap gasoline at the pumps.)
Iraq is a major new energy powerhouse.