Iraq halts fuel imports after achieving self-sufficiency

Shafaq News – Baghdad

Iraq has officially stopped importing fuel after reaching self-sufficiency in gasoline, diesel, and kerosene production, a government document showed on Tuesday.

The directive, issued by Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, instructs the Oil Ministry to regulate domestic consumption and direct surplus output toward exports, following what it called three years of intensive efforts to expand refining capacity under the government’s energy independence plan.

Al-Sudani had earlier described the step as part of a broader strategy to reduce reliance on imports, with annual savings estimated at nearly $10 billion, noting that his government aims to increase refined-product output to 40 percent of crude exports by 2030.

Among the revival projects, according to the Oil Ministry, is the North Refineries complex in Baiji, rebuilt after ISIS-era destruction and now operating at a capacity of about 380,000 barrels per day.