Iraq's 2009 gasoline imports rise despite self-sufficiency claims
 

 

Amman (Platts)--18Jan2010/623 am EST/1123 GMT

  

Iraqi imports of gasoline rose slightly in 2009 over the previous year on declining domestic production, with the country continuing to import all refined products despite repeated claims by its oil ministry that it was becoming self-sufficient in all products.

Yearly averages for oil products production as calculated by Platts using oil ministry figures show that production of LPG and kerosene rose during the year while gasoline and gasoil production fell from 2008 levels.

Production of LPG, a fuel used mainly for domestic cooking, rose in 2009 to 3,325 mt/day from 2,592 mt/day the previous year. Gasoline production fell to an average 9.3 million liters/day in 2009 from a 2008 average of 10.2 million liters/day.

Kerosene production rose to an average of 7.3 million liters/day from 7.1 million liters/day in 2008, while gas oil production averaged 12.4 million liters/day from the 2008 average of 13.2 million liters/day.

Platts calculated that 2009 gasoline imports rose to an average 5.5 million liters/day against the 2008 average of 5.3 million liters/day.

LPG imports in 2009 were 748 mt/day, compared with 1,203 mt/day the previous year. Kerosene imports fell to an average of 193,000 liters/day from the 2008 average of 885,000 liters/day. There were no imports of kerosene from March to November last year. Average imports of gasoil totaled 727,000 liters/day compared with the 2008 average of 1.4 million liters/day. There were no gasoil imports between August and December.

The annual average rate of fuel oil exports was calculated at 4.1 million liters/day, compared with an average 12.0 million liters/day in 2008. The fuel oil was exported mainly to Turkey and to the Gulf by sea.

The fall in fuel oil exports was offset by the increase in the volume of fuel oil mixed with the crude oil export stream. The amount of fuel oil blended with crude oil in 2009 averaged 74,000 b/d, more than double the 2008 rate of 31,000 b/d. The practice of mixing fuel oil with crude oil has affected the quality of the exported crude, particularly of Kirkuk oil exported via the Turkish port of Ceyhan.

Using monthly oil ministry figures, Platts calculates that total wellhead production also fell in 2009 on an annualized basis, averaging 2.4 million b/d, an average 22,000 b/d below the previous year's average.

--Faleh al-Khayat, newsdesk@platts.com