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Iraq and the "Gulf Cooperation Council: Facts and Figures for oil and geopolitical challenges 1-2
Posted 20/02/2012 04:13 PM
Manama (Bahrain) - flame Atta Abdul Wahab *
Axis I: oil and gas
1. Proven oil reserves: The total proven oil reserves in the GCC countries 500 billion barrels, or about 36.2% of the world's proven reserves of $ 1383 billion barrels, at the end of 2010, according to the annual statistical report for BP issued in June 2011, which is one of the the most important statistical reports in the world. Range from the life span of oil the ratio of reserves to production, reserve-to-production-ratio (R / P) between more than 100 years in Kuwait and 94 years in the UAE, while up the life span of oil in Saudi Arabia to 72 in accordance with the current rates of production. If the added proved reserves of Iran (137 billion barrels) and Iraq (115 billion barrels), the size of the reserve in the Gulf countries will rise to 752 billion barrels, or about 54.4% of the world's reserves.
mention that Saudi Arabia maintains the largest known reserves of oil in the world's 265 billion barrels, or about 19.1% of world reserves, where it can play the role of what has become known in the literature of the energy product is likely to Swing Producer to secure market supplies required in the event of any sudden interruption in supply.
2. Oil production:
Oil production peaked in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) at the end of 2010 to 18.483 million barrels / day or equivalent to 22.5% of global production of 82 million barrels a day. The figure will rise to 25.105 million barrels a day when she said both Iraq and Iran or the equivalent of 30.6 global production.
3. Proven reserves of natural gas: The total proven reserves of natural gas in the countries of the Board 43 trillion cubic meters, or about 23% of world reserves.
and the figure rises to 76 trillion cubic meters, when she said of Iraq and Iran, or about 40.1% of world reserves.
Among the GCC countries have the State of Qatar the largest reserve of gas and $ 25 trillion cubic meters, or about 13.5% of world reserves makes it the third largest worldwide after Russia and Iran directly.
On the other hand production reached GCC natural gas end of 2010 to 321 billion cubic meters, or about 10% of global production, while the figure rises when you add Iran and Iraq for up to 460 billion cubic meters, or about 14.4% of world production.
The second axis: site map of the GCC countries in the world's energy.
reveal the latest available data issued by the U.S. Energy Information Administration EIA data for a very important role Mayazz of the GCC countries as a pivotal player in the energy industry for many decades to come.
1. Among the top 15 oil-producing state occupies the GCC countries rank 1.8, 11 per while occupies both Iran and Iraq rank 5.12, respectively.
Table (1) the largest oil-producing countries in the World 2010
(thousand barrels per day)
state of production
1 . Saudi Arabia 10,521
2. Russia 10,146
3. United States 9688
4. China 4273
5. Iran 4252
6. Canada 3483
7. Mexico 2983
8. United Arab Emirates 2813
9. Brazil 2719
10. Nigeria 2456
11. Kuwait 2450
12. Iraq 2406
13. Venezuela 2375
14. Norway 2134
15. Algeria 2078
2. Among the top 15 oil-exporting country in the world was of the GCC countries rank at the mug Alli 1.4, 6, 10.15. While the sequence of all came from the Islamic Republic of Iran and Iraq at the third and tenth, respectively, as shown in the table below.
Table (2) the largest oil-exporting countries in the World 2010
(thousand barrels per day)
state export volume
1. Saudi Arabia 7300
2. Russia 7007
3. Iran 2407
4. United Arab Emirates 2270
5. Norway 2125
6. Kuwait 2124
7. Nigeria 1939
8. Onicola 1874
9. Algeria 1773
10. Iraq 1764
11. Venezuela 1719
12. Libya 1.525
13. Kazakhstan 1199
14. Canada 1159
15. Qatar 1077
Axis III: Dimensions geopolitical and international spring Arab
Perhaps the most possible outcome "for the spring of the Arab" for the Gulf Cooperation Council is to re-positioning, so to speak in the global economy, which has become inclined towards the east significantly as evidenced by the relationship widening with both China and India In addition to Russia. Although the United States is still the main supporter and strategic direction of the GCC states, including ensuring the flow of safe supplies from the Gulf states, but there is a shift towards the East economically and commercially expressed in the significant expansion in energy projects, both on the investments of the GCC countries to build several refineries in China and India and South Korea, offset by the expansion projects in the petrochemical and refining industries undertaken by several Asian companies in the Gulf region. The historic visit of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz of both China and India in late January 2006, which resulted in the signing of multiple, including the protocol energy to promote trade between the two countries, evidence of the importance attached by the Kingdom to develop its relations with China. Has followed the visit of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques to visit them less importance to the Emir of Kuwait Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah in May / May of 2009, especially since Kuwait is one of the leading investors in the projects, the refining industry in China.
The importance of the geopolitical to the Middle East is not the subject of controversy because of its reserves of large firm of natural resources, particularly crude oil and natural gas, but there are some studies that have been stressing that the flame of sparkle to the Middle East as a major player on the stage of World Energy, will take in the "decline" phase through the next two decades, to calculate the countries in West Africa, Asia and South America, which has reserves large in its waters deep, which became accessible thanks to modern techniques used reality as engineers, for example, drilling in depths of up to more than 3000 feet off the coast of Brazil in the Atlantic Ocean.
* Researcher specialized Iraqi oil and energy economics and the second part of the research Sanschergda
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