September 17, 2025 [Argus Media]- TotalEnergies has launched the second development phase at Iraq’s Ratawi oil field and begun construction of a seawater treatment plant, as part of the second stage of its $27bn Gas Growth Integrated Project (GGIP), the company said today.
“The Ratawi redevelopment was launched in September 2023. Phase 1 aims to increase production to 120,000 b/d and is expected to come on stream by early 2026,” TotalEnergies said. “The launch of Phase 2 — full field development — will enable production to rise to 210,000 b/d starting in 2028, with no routine flaring,” the company added. The field’s current capacity is 60,000 b/d.
The GGIP is designed to boost Iraq’s oil and gas output, expand power generation and curb gas flaring — a key step in reducing Baghdad’s reliance on Iranian gas imports and cutting greenhouse emissions.
Alongside the Ratawi oil field redevelopment, the project includes a 600mn ft³/d gas capture facility and a solar photovoltaic plant. It also involves the construction of a large-scale seawater treatment facility to support water injection at southern oil fields.
The Common Seawater Supply Project (CSSP), now under construction near the southern port town of Umm Qasr, will process and transport 5mn b/d of seawater to Iraq’s main producing fields. South Korea’s Hyundai Engineering and Construction has been commissioned to build the plant, which will allow Iraq to replace freshwater use in oil production — a critical shift for the drought-hit country.
TotalEnergies holds a 45pc stake in the three non-solar elements of the GGIP, state-owned Basrah Oil has 30pc and state-controlled QatarEnergy 25pc. In the solar project, QatarEnergy and TotalEnergies each hold a 50pc stake.
Turkey’s ENKA Construction, alongside TotalEnergies, will build an oil and gas processing facility at Ratawi, with a capacity of 210,000 b/d of oil, 163mn ft³/d of gas and 240,000 b/d of injection water, according to Iraq’s prime minister’s office.
TotalEnergies has also signed an agreement with China’s CPECC to build a gas processing plant at Ratawi, as part of the GGIP’s gas capture component. Construction began in January, with an initial 50mn ft³/d unit expected to start up by the end of this year. This forms part of the first 300mn ft³/d phase of the planned 600mn ft³/d ArtawiGas25 gas capture facility.
Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani welcomed the increase in foreign investment, which Iraq has struggled to attract since the 2003 US-led invasion and regime change.
