Iraq Faces Daily Petrol Shortfall of 4m Litres

Iraq's daily petrol consumption reached approximately 35 million litres on Wednesday, surpassing all previous records, according to the Ministry of Oil's media and government communications office.

The ministry said the shortfall between production and consumption has reached around 4 million litres per day. South Refineries Company (SRC) refineries are operating at full capacity, producing around 30 million litres of petrol per day, but consumption has risen to approximately 34-35 million litres daily.

The ministry attributed the production gap in part to the withdrawal of a foreign company responsible for operating the fluid catalytic cracking (FCC) unit (pictured), citing security concerns. The departure resulted in a loss of 4-5 million litres of high-octane petrol per day. Demand has also been elevated by holidays and religious visits.

Previous peak consumption had not exceeded 32 million litres per day prior to recent regional developments. The ministry said it is managing the shortfall by drawing on available reserves.