Kirkuk-Türkiye pipeline will be ready ‘within a week’: Iraqi oil minister

Iraq's Deputy Prime Minister and Oil Minister Hayyan Abdul Ghani said Monday that alternative export plans are being prepared due to the halt of oil exports through the Strait of Hormuz and that the Kirkuk-Türkiye oil pipeline could be put back into operation "within a week" without passing through the territory of the Iraqi Kurdish Regional Government (KRG).

In a video statement, the minister noted that Iraq's crude oil production is about 4.4 million barrels per day according to its OPEC quota.

However, he said that a few days after the war began, Iraq's oil exports stopped due to military developments in the Gulf and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.

He said that Iraq had previously exported around 3.4 million barrels of oil per day, mainly through southern ports, especially the Basra Oil Terminal. But after the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, the Ministry of Oil had to reduce production at oil fields.

"Oil production has now been reduced to 1.5-1.6 million barrels per day to meet the needs of refineries and power plants. Refineries are currently operating at the highest level of their design capacities, continuing to produce gasoline, diesel, white petroleum products, and LPG (liquefied petroleum gas). In addition, a certain amount of stock is being kept for emergencies," he added.

The minister also said Iraq is evaluating the shipment of oil through the Ceyhan Port in Türkiye to resume exports. He added that tenders have also been opened for exports via the Baniyas Port in Syria and through the Aqaba pipeline route.

He noted that the Iraq-Türkiye pipeline, which carries Kirkuk oil to Türkiye, has a capacity of 200,000-250,000 barrels per day and that final testing and maintenance work are currently ongoing.

He said the remaining hydrostatic testing on a roughly 100-kilometer (nearly 62 miles) long section is expected to be completed within a week.

"Oil will be fed directly from the Kirkuk fields into the pipeline (the Iraq-Türkiye pipeline) and can be sent to Türkiye without passing through the KRG," he added.