In office for nearly two years, Oil Minister Ihsan Ismaael has guided the ministry responsible for generating more than 90 percent of Iraq’s state revenues through periods of wildly fluctuating global oil prices. He has also overseen several major contracts for field development, including a mega-deal with TotalEnergies for three projects in Basra, as well as finalizing contract terms with China’s Sinopec for the development of Mansuriya gas field in Diyala province. He insists that the current leadership vacuum in Iraq – a new Cabinet has yet to be appointed nearly six months after parliamentary elections last October – is not putting the brakes on technical work with TotalEnergies over the $27 billion Gas Growth Integrated Project (GGIP). The work incorporates upstream development of Ratawi oil field, a seawater injection project, and a hub for processing associated gas produced […]