KRG Ministry of Natural Resources

London, UK (mnr.krg.org) - A major annual conference in London next month will discuss the opportunities and challenges for the Kurdistan Region of Iraq’s oil and gas sector.

In light of the current security and economic difficulties and the Kurdistan Region’s vital role in the war against the Islamic State (ISIS), this year the conference will include a one-day seminar on security. After two very challenging years, the Kurdistan Region’s oil and gas sector has a more positive outlook, with investment starting to pick up and prepayments for oil exports continuing. The Kurdistan Region continues to export around 580,000 barrels per day of crude oil.

The gathering, taking place in London from 5^th to 7^th December, is the only officially backed conference on Kurdistan oil and gas. It will bring together political leaders, diplomats, international oil company representatives and industry experts.  

Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) Deputy Prime Minister Qubad Talabany, Minister of Natural Resources Ashti Hawrami, the Governor of Kirkuk Najmaldin Karim, and former US Ambassador James Franklin Jeffrey will address the conference.

International and local companies will also be represented , including ExxonMobil, Chevron, Gazprom Neft, Genel Energy, DNO, Gulf Keystone, Western Zagros, New Age, Kar Group, and Qaiwan Group.

Kurdistan’s direct oil sales are essential to fund the fight against ISIS, support over 1.8 million refugees and internally displaced people (IDPs), and pay government employees’ salaries. This has been made possible by the commitment of international oil companies (IOCs) who have continued to work in Kurdistan in challenging times. As thousands of families flee ISIS-controlled Mosul in the wake of the offensive, direct oil sales and cooperation with the Iraqi Federal Government are all the more important for Kurdistan’s assistance to the IDPs.

The topics covered will be: a Q&A with KRG officials and oil operators, the use of technology, natural gas, investment strategies, local content and a dedicated seminar on security.

Other speakers at the conference include, the Head of the KRG Department of Foreign Relations Minister Falah Mustafa; US Department of State official Dr Alex Kahl; Esra Dogan Grajover, from Turkey’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs; British Member of Parliament Nadhim Zahawi; and security expert Dr Michael Knights of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.

For more information about the conference, please see CWC Kurdistan-Iraq Oil and Gas Conference and Exhibition, http://www.cwckiog.com/