الأهمية الإقليمية والدولية للغاز الطبيعي في العراق (دراسة في الجغرافية السياسية)
Abstract
Geographical determinism is one of the most important determinants of a state's political behavior, as natural, human, and economic factors impose certain political trends. For example, we cannot deny that the policies of oil countries differ from the policies of non-oil countries because oil represents an important source of energy. If it is not essential, there is a difference in the distribution of energy sources between one country and another, so some countries take certain policies to cover the needs of the population of those places for energy sources.
Geographical factors control the trends of these countries, as natural economic resources are among the most important factors, especially oil and gas, Unfortunately, Iraq still does not realize the importance of natural gas as it is an exhaustible natural resource.
The Washington Institute for Near East Policy indicates that losses resulting from the burning of natural gas in Iraq amount to $2.5 billion annually, it burns 10 times more gas than it imports, The Ministry of Electricity also stated that 85% of the country's power plants depend on natural gas. Iraq imports 40 million cubic feet daily. While it burns 30 million cubic feet per day, without counting the burning of free gas. The Ministry of Oil indicates that the quantities of associated gas produced reach 2,700 million standard cubic feet per day, of which the amount used is 1,500 million cubic feet per day. According to the National Oil Company, the value of gas burned for the period (2011-2015) amounted to 15 billion dollars.
According to a report presented by the International Energy Institute on statistics related to natural gas trade in the world, as part of the 72nd Annual Report of the World Energy Statistical Review, the Islamic Republic of Iran's natural gas exports amounted to, in 2022, 18.9 billion cubic meters, of which 9.4 billion cubic meters were exported to Iraq. It is noteworthy that Iraq was the second worst country in the world in terms of burning gas after Russia in 2020.
In this research, we will discuss the regional and international importance of natural gas in Iraq and how to exploit these resources. The research was divided into two topics: the first is natural gas (its characteristics and uses) its types and geographical distribution. The second requirement is the development of natural gas production and consumption and its importance regionally and internationally.
