Kurdistan Oil Output Rebounds Amid Push for Equal Gasoline Prices
Kurdistan Region oil production has recovered to between 220,000 and 230,000 barrels per day as companies resume operations. The region's Natural Resources Minister Kamal Mohammed Salih said that part of this production is being used to meet domestic requirements.
The recovery marks an important improvement for the Kurdistan Region's energy sector after repeated security disruptions affected oil infrastructure and production.
However, a lasting solution to the gasoline shortage still depends on the federal government providing the Kurdistan Region with what it considers its allocated share. The KRG claims that the way refining costs are calculated is at the center of the dispute.
According to Salih, 'the federal government calculates the cost of refining each barrel of oil at its own refineries at 5,900 dinars, approximately $4, but calculates the cost for refineries in the Kurdistan Region at $16.'