Based: Erbil

Telephone: (+964) 66 223 4350

Website: www.moc-krg.com

Projects planned or under way: $5.95bn

The Ministry of Transport & Communications has responsibility for rail, light rail, bus networks and their respective terminals. Ultimately, it wants to see trams in each of the governorates and a regional railway with both national and international connections. But it must first secure finance, which will be challenging for the multibillion-dollar projects. On the telecoms side, the ministry acts as a regulator to the region’s three mobile operators – Zain, Asiacell and Korek. Mobile penetration is estimated at about 90 per cent, much higher than landline or internet use, which is estimated at 7-10 per cent. The ministry has been overseeing installation of fibre-optic cables for better internet access.

Prime minister: Nechirvan Barzani

Based: Erbil

Telephone: (+964) 750 446 6602

Website: www.krg.org

Projects planned or under way: $5.39bn

The democratically elected KRG is the second-largest owner of projects in the Iraqi Kurdistan region. Established more than two decades ago, the KRG gets it finances from Baghdad, which allocates 17 per cent of the national budget to the region. This accounts for 97 per cent of the KRG’s revenues. Project spending focuses largely on security and infrastructure such as power plants. Recently the KRG has been building hospitals and health clinics. Half to two-thirds of the budget goes towards civil servants’ salaries.

Based: Dubai

Telephone: (+971) 4 367 3333

Website: www.emaar.com

Projects planned or under way: $3bn

Dubai-based Emaar Properties is behind the $3bn Downtown Erbil development, unveiled in October 2013 by KRG Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani. Features of the scheme include Erbil’s largest shopping and entertainment destination, several hotels, a commercial hub and a choice of residential projects, including luxury apartments. The first phase, known as Claren Homes, consists of two 27-storey towers hosting 276 apartments. Emaar tells MEED the project is currently awaiting approval of the masterplan before construction can begin.

CEO: Tony Hayward

Based: Channel Islands

Telephone: (+44) 20 7 659 5100

Website: www.genelenergy.com

Projects planned or under way: $2.5bn

Genel Energy is a Turkish/UK oil and gas exploration and production company that has operated in the Kurdistan region since 2002, when it signed a production-sharing contract to operate the Taq Taq field, of which it owns 44 per cent. It also operates the Chia Surkh field, with 60 per cent ownership; Miran, which it owns fully; and Ber Bahr, where it holds 40 per cent. It also has minority stakes in the Tawke, Bina Bawi and Dohuk fields. The producing fields of Taq Taq and Tawke have proven and probable reserves of 1.3 billion barrels of oil.

Based: Suleimaniyah

Telephone: (+964) 770 670 1568

Website: www.massgroupholding.com

Projects planned or under way: $2.32bn

Jordanian-owned Mass Group is a diversified conglomerate that produces energy, cement, steel and fertilisers, along with other basic industrial and service products. It is the major provider of electricity in the Kurdistan region, with three power plants under build-own-operate contracts, producing 2,875MW from simple-cycle production. It is working to increase its generation capacity to 3,500MW this year via an expansion programme and conversions to combined-cycle production. The Kurdistan region’s virtually round-the-clock electricity provision contrasts starkly with the situation in the rest of Iraq and attests to Mass Group’s success in overseeing a private-led expansion of installed power capacity in recent years.

Based: Erbil

Telephone: (+964) 66 257 6006

Website: www.empireiraq.com

Projects planned or under way: $2.3bn

Empire World is a real estate developer and sister company to the Falcon Group of companies led by Peshwar Agha. It is also the developer behind Erbil’s largest real estate project currently under way: the $2.3bn Empire World. Construction began in 2007 with the 300-unit Royal Villas complex, which was followed by the Royal City residential apartments. The best-known aspect of the development is the Empire Business Towers, which began construction in 2010 and consists of a central tower with four blocks surrounding it on a circular footprint. Other components include a Marriott Hotel and executive apartments, Empire residential wings and three Diamond towers. Final completion is set for 2017.