Local
The Ministry of Oil on Saturday denied circulating reports suggesting Iraq's intention to export gasoline abroad immediately upon the operation of the Fluid Catalytic Cracking (FCC) unit. This official denial comes in response to news circulated by some media agencies, which attributed statements to the Ministry's official spokesperson indicating the start of gasoline exports as soon as the unit is activated. In a clarifying statement, the official spokesperson affirmed that his previous remarks to a television channel aimed to indicate that Iraq would achieve self-sufficiency in local petroleum products once the FCC unit is operational. He added that the transformation into a country exporting some petroleum products would become possible following the completion of planned expansion works in other refineries. The Ministry clarified that these plans reflect its endeavor to transform Iraq from a primary importing country into a significant exporter of petroleum products. The statement also noted that the Ministry currently exports fuel oil and naphtha, and had previously exported a shipment of jet fuel in addition to sulfur.
