The House of Representatives discussed today, Sunday, the local fuel crisis in the provinces of Iraq to address its causes and repercussions, as well as to discuss the government measures taken to tackle it during its nineteenth session chaired by Haibat al-Halbousi, with the attendance of 232 deputies.
The media department of the House of Representatives stated in a statement reviewed by the Video News Agency that the session saw the hosting of the Minister of Oil, Bassam Mohammed Khudhair, and the senior staff of the ministry. The Speaker of the House, Haibat al-Halbousi, emphasized the importance of understanding the causes of the crisis and providing sufficient quantities of gasoline to end the queues forming at the stations, noting that the shortage of products is unacceptable in an oil-rich country that supplies its refineries with 1.1 million barrels daily for local consumption, stressing the need to review the ministry and refineries' plans to develop the oil sector.
The media department added that Minister of Oil Bassam Mohammed Khudhair clarified that exports had increased to over 4 million barrels daily and that quantities were being transported from Kirkuk to the Turkish port of Ceyhan, indicating that the production of oil products amounts to 37 million liters daily, with the ongoing disparity resulting from the difficulties in importing gasoline due to the conditions of war and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.
Meanwhile, the General Director of the Distribution Company confirmed that the current stock reached 107 million liters compared to local consumption of 34 million and 540 thousand liters last August.
While the General Director of SOMO explained that the export capacity reached 4 million and 254 thousand barrels with discounts reaching 26.5 dollars for medium oil and 28 dollars for heavy oil to circumvent complications in movement through the strait, with ongoing imports from Jordan, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Europe via Syria.
The discussions focused on the need to put an end to the crisis at the stations, increase production to meet daily needs, secure white oil before winter, support farmers with fuel coinciding with the start of the agricultural season, as well as address the crisis in Nineveh, Kirkuk, and the Kurdistan region, expedite the operation of the FCC unit in Basra, reconsider raising prices on industrial and agricultural projects and factories, and selecting competencies away from favoritism.
The Speaker of the House, Haibat al-Halbousi, urged at the end of the session the Minister of Oil to continue combating administrative and financial corruption and to evaluate the work of the general directors, expressing support for the procedures and confirming the intention to hold the minister accountable if he fails to take punitive actions against violators, before the council decided to adjourn the session until tomorrow, Monday.