TotalEnergies Launches Final Phase of USD 27 Billion Iraq Project, Expanding Gas Output and Adding 1GW Solar

French energy major TotalEnergies has launched the second development phase at Iraq’s Ratawi oilfield, marking the final stage of a USD 27 billion multi-energy project aimed at boosting the country’s gas, power and oil production.

The initiative, led by TotalEnergies (45 percent) alongside Iraq’s state-owned Basra Oil Company (30 percent) and QatarEnergy (25 percent), also seeks to reduce Iraq’s reliance on energy imports from Iran and revive long-stalled foreign investment.

Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, Qatar’s energy minister, and TotalEnergies CEO Patrick Pouyanne met in Baghdad on Sunday to award the final contracts under the Gas Growth Integrated Project.

The Ratawi redevelopment, begun in 2023, is set to raise production to 120,000 barrels per day (bpd) by early 2026. The newly launched second phase will nearly double output to 210,000 bpd by 2028 and eliminate routine gas flaring.

China’s Petroleum Engineering and Construction Corp will build a gas processing plant in southern Iraq with a capacity of 600 million standard cubic feet per day. The wider project also includes a 1GW solar park and additional facilities to capture associated gas for power generation.

Turkey’s ENKA has been contracted to build the oil and gas processing facility, while Hyundai Engineering and Construction of South Korea will construct a seawater treatment plant with a capacity of 5 million barrels per day. The plant will allow drought-hit Iraq to substitute seawater for freshwater in oil production.