TEHRAN - Iranian exports of natural gas to Iraq increased significantly in April compared to earlier this year, according to regional oil and gas analytics firm.
In a report published on Saturday, the MEES quoted as saying a senior official in Iraq’s Electricity Ministry that imports of gas from Iran for use in Iraqi power plants had reached an average of 30-40 million cubic meters per day per day in April.
Ali Ahmad, who leads Iraq’s stat electricity generation company, said that Iranian gas supplies to Iraq had increased by three to four times in April compared to early months of 2023.
The increased supply comes as Iraq is bracing for a hot summer when demand for cooling will reach record highs across the country.
Iraq relies on Iran for a significant part of the gas supply it needs to run its power plant. The Arab country has received rounds of waivers from U.S. sanctions on Iran to be able to continue energy imports from its eastern neighbor.
Iranian gas supplies to Iraq dropped significantly in 2021 when the Arab country failed to pay its energy arrears to Tehran.
The supplies had remained at low levels until early this year when Iranian authorities announced that the Iraqis had find a way round the U.S. sanctions to pay for gas imports.
Senior Iraqi government officials have travelled to Iran in recent months to discuss increased energy cooperation between the two neighbors.
President Abdul Latif Rashid was in Tehran on Saturday for a first official visit since he took office in Baghdad in October.