Iraq sets 2027 deadline to end gas flaring

Shafaq News/ Iraq will end all associated gas flaring by 2027 as part of efforts to cut emissions and overhaul environmental infrastructure, Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani announced on Wednesday.

Speaking at a national youth conference marking World Environment Day, al-Sudani said contracts had been signed with international firms to capture flared gas from oilfields.

Iraq ranks among the world’s top five flaring nations, releasing millions of cubic meters of gas annually due to limited processing infrastructure.

To mitigate industrial pollution, the government is converting brick kilns and other outdated factories into environmentally compliant facilities, with a 100-megawatt waste-to-energy plant also under construction in al-Nahrawan, according to the prime minister.

On water management, al-Sudani announced new agreements with Turkiye to implement advanced irrigation systems. He noted that 90% of Iraq’s environmental budget has been allocated to wastewater treatment.

Those deals come amid severe water shortages, worsened by upstream dams in Turkiye and Iran, and aim to ease long-standing regional disputes over water rights.

Al-Sudani added that emissions monitoring is receiving increased scientific support to guide environmental policy. “We are integrating environmental priorities into national development planning.”