Since its launch in June last year, the facility has become more than a piece of industrial infrastructure -- it's a symbol of resilience, cooperation and a cleaner energy future for Iraq.

By Xinhua writer Li Jun

BAGHDAD, May 22 (Xinhua) -- As the first morning light cuts through the lingering mist over the Tigris River, Haider, a villager in southern Iraq's Maysan Province, walks into the kitchen as he does every day. With a gentle turn of the gas stove knob, a blue flame leaps to life.

"This blue flame is like a genie from Aladdin's lamp and reignites our hope," Haider says, pouring water into a tea kettle. "Cooking is much easier now, and there's no more fear of frequent blackouts in the summer heat."

For tens of thousands of Iraqi families like Haider's, daily life has quietly but profoundly changed, thanks to the Halfaya Gas Processing Plant (GPP), a billion-dollar megaproject invested in by PetroChina Halfaya and undertaken by China Petroleum Engineering and Construction Corporation (CPECC).

Despite abundant reserves of oil and gas, Iraq has long lacked the capacity to refine its oil and process its gas. Decades of conflict and underinvestment left the country reliant on costly gas and electricity imports, especially from neighboring Iran.

That reliance became a liability this March, when the United States rescinded Iraq's waiver to purchase electricity from Iran as part of its "maximum pressure" campaign against Tehran. Washington also pressured Baghdad to halt its imports of Iranian natural gas, leaving the government scrambling for alternative sources.

In this climate of urgency, the Halfaya GPP came online at just the right moment.

Since its launch in June last year, the facility has become more than a piece of industrial infrastructure -- it's a symbol of resilience, cooperation and a cleaner energy future for Iraq.

As Iraq's first large-scale integrated oil and gas processing project, it processes approximately 3 billion cubic meters of associated gas annually, a by-product from oilfields that was previously flared off, wasting valuable energy and polluting the air.

Today, this associated gas is captured, processed and transformed into a usable source of fuel -- around 2.25 billion cubic meters of purified natural gas per year, which could generate 5 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity. That is power enough for approximately 4 million Iraqi homes -- a lifeline in a country that has struggled for years with rolling blackouts and energy shortages.

Beyond electricity, the plant helps to diversify Iraq's energy economy. It produces around 860,000 tonnes of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) each year, which is distributed by tanker trucks throughout Maysan and other provinces. It also yields about 900,000 tonnes of C5+ light hydrocarbons and 15,000 tonnes of industrial-grade sulfur annually.

"Iraq used to flare off the associated gas all day and night in the past," recalled Zainab, a local engineer at the plant. "It felt like we were throwing our future into the sky. But things have changed since the completion of the GPP. Trucks now line up to carry the LPG to nearby towns and provinces. That gas is no longer wasted. It has become a golden resource."

The project could help bolster Iraq's green credentials and align with global standards.

"This project is not just an engineering achievement," said Jiang Feng, general manager of the CPECC Middle East branch. "It's a model of sustainable development. We brought not only world-class Chinese technology, but also a vision of long-term environmental responsibility."

Jiang took pride in how the captured energy is being turned into products that power homes, support industries, and improve people's lives, while also reducing huge quantities of carbon dioxide and sulfur dioxide every year.

At the project's inauguration last June, Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia' al-Sudani personally turned the startup valve, hailing it as a model of Iraq-China cooperation.

Iraqi Oil Minister Hayan Abdul Ghani stated at the ceremony, "The opening of the plant represents a significant addition to the energy industry by utilizing associated gas, rather than burning it, and converting it into useful energy."

But the Chinese company's efforts go beyond that. The Halfaya oilfield sits near the Hawizeh Marshes, a UNESCO-protected wetland vital to regional biodiversity.

"Over the past 15 years, PetroChina has always adhered to the concept of green development in the Halfaya oilfield. We monitor the water, soil, air and biodiversity of the Hawizeh Marshes regularly," said Fang Jiazhong, president of PetroChina Halfaya.

"Our goal is to ensure that our presence strengthens the ecosystem, not harms it," he stressed.

"Chinese companies are setting an example here," said Zainab, pointing to the migratory birds sweeping across the sky near the plant. "Their respect for the environment is not just impressive. It's essential for our future."

As night falls, the lights of the Halfaya GPP glow against the backdrop of the village homes it helps power. To the villagers, that glow from energy reclaimed from waste, illuminates a future secured by friendship and self-sufficiency.

"Thanks to this plant, we don't just have gas," says Haider, smiling as he pours another glass of tea. "We have dignity."