TotalEnergies Starts Construction of $250MM Gas Facility in Iraq

TotalEnergies SE has begun construction of ArtawiGas25, a first processing facility for the associated gas from the Ratawi field in the Basra region, Iraq.

TotalEnergies launched the multi-energy Gas Growth Integrated Project (GGIP) in the country in 2023. The $10 billion multi-energy project is designed to enhance the development of Iraq’s natural resources to improve the country’s electricity supply, the company said in a news release.

The four-in-one project involves the recovery of gas that is flared at three oil fields in southern Iraq to supply electric power plants, the redevelopment of the Ratawi oil field, as well as the construction of a 1-gigwatt alternating current (GWac) solar farm and a seawater treatment plant. The GGIP includes a large-scale gas processing plant, with a first phase of 300 million cubic feet per day (MMcfpd) that will recover gas being flared on three oil fields and supply gas to 1.5 GW of power generation capacity.

The ArtawiGas25 facility, which is part of the Gas Growth Integrated Project (GGIP), represents an investment of around $250 million and will process 50 MMcfpd of gas previously flared. The gas will supply local power plants, covering the demand of approximately 200,000 households in the Basra region, according to the release.

Once the facility begins operations, it will significantly reduce gas flaring at the Ratawi field as early as the end of 2025. The modular design of ArtawiGas25 could also pave the way for potential replication across other Iraqi oil fields, TotalEnergies said.

ArtawiGas25 will create up to 160 direct and indirect jobs for Iraqi nationals during the construction phase and 30 jobs during operation phase, the company noted.

"We are very pleased to launch the ArtawiGas25 project; it will give the Iragi people a tangible insight into the benefits of the GGIP, which will provide more energy with less emissions. Through this project, TotalEnergies is demonstrating its capacity to deliver valuable and fast-track solutions in accordance with the government’s expectations and the country’s electricity needs. We look forward to the next GGIP milestones in the coming weeks with the start of construction of the 1 GW solar project,” Julien Pouget, Senior Vice President for Middle East & North Africa, Exploration & Production at TotalEnergies, said.

TotalEnergies is the operator of the project with a 45 percent stake. Basra Oil Company and QatarEnergy hold 30 percent and 25 percent stakes, respectively.

Meanwhile, TotalEnergies last month announced the divestment of 50 percent of its ownership in West Burton Energy to EPUK Investments Ltd. (EPUKI), the United Kingdom (UK) division of Energeticky a prumyslovy holding (EPH).

West Burton Energy owns and operates the West Burton B gas-fired power plant in Nottinghamshire, England. TotalEnergies said that West Burton B comprises three combined-cycle gas turbines (CCGT) with a total output of 1.3 GW. A 49-megawatt (MW) battery storage system was added in 2018.

TotalEnergies said in an earlier statement that upon acquiring West Burton Energy, it had rounded out its renewable power generation capacity in the UK with a flexible asset that mitigates intermittency to enable the supply of firm power to customers.

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