IRON ORE EXTRACTION, SULFUR AND DRY GAS INVESTMENT…THE GOVERNMENT IS DISCUSSING TWO REQUESTS AND A CHINESE OFFER

IRON ORE EXTRACTION, SULFUR AND DRY GAS INVESTMENT…THE GOVERNMENT IS DISCUSSING TWO REQUESTS AND A CHINESE OFFER.

On Monday, June 16, 2025, the Iraqi Industrial Coordination Council discussed the industrial situation in Iraq and its needs during a meeting chaired by Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani. The meeting was attended by representatives of several foreign companies. The meeting discussed an offer submitted by the Chinese company “Tsing Shan” to extract “iron dust.”

A statement from Al-Sudani’s office, a copy of which was received by Al-Jabal, stated that “Al-Sudani chaired a meeting of the Industrial Coordination Council on Monday, during which the industrial situation in Iraq, its most prominent needs, and the files on the agenda were discussed and reviewed. The meeting was attended by a number of ministers, advisors, businessmen, and representatives of local and foreign companies working in partnership with the private sector.”

The statement added, “The Prime Minister stressed the need to continue working to provide the legal and legislative foundations for expanding the base of various industries in Iraq, in a way that serves the escalation of the private industrial sector’s activity, as a partner in development, and the provision of job opportunities and goods to the Iraqi market.”

The statement continued, “The Council considered the topics on the agenda and took the necessary decisions and directives. The request of the Chinese company (Tsing Shan) was discussed, and its desire to work in the field of dry gas in the Basra Industrial City project, and the sulfur investment project in the Lazka/2 field, and its offer to extract iron dust. Directions were given to coordinate with the Ministry of Oil in this regard.”

The Council discussed, according to the statement, the issue of determining rental allowances for industrial projects established on agricultural lands, and forming a committee in this regard. It approved referring the issue to the Ministerial Council for the Economy. It also considered the possibility of amending Cabinet Resolution (24413 of 2024) regarding granting initial approvals for the establishment of facilities for industrial projects and equipping these projects with petroleum products from distribution outlets according to entitlement .

The statement noted that “the Council reviewed the relevant ministries’ completion of the digital transformation and the single window at the Industrial Development Directorate. It also approved the referral of the file on reducing the prices of liquefied natural gas supplied to industrial projects to the Ministerial Council for the Economy, and obligating government agencies providing services to create electronic links for industrial companies operating unnumbered sites to facilitate companies’ submission to the link.”

The statement concluded, “The Council discussed the Ministry of Education’s referral to print school textbooks, and the balance between the private and public sectors, in accordance with Cabinet Resolution No. 24402. The meeting also considered exempting industrial investment projects located outside the basic design of cities from the announcement requirement in Cabinet Resolution No. 245 of 2019.”