Iraqi Oil Minister Jabbar al-Luaibi said the country plans to increase production from oil fields in Kirkuk to 1 million barrels per day (bbl/d) and has visited the Bai Hasan and Avana fields to order work be accelerated to restore operations soon, the ministry’s spokesman said Nov. 13.
Exports from oil fields in Kirkuk have been on hold since Iraqi forces took back control of them from the Kurds last month.
On Oct. 17, Iraqi forces took control of the Bai Hasan and Avana oil fields northwest of Kirkuk after Kurdish Peshmerga fighters pulled out from the region, security sources said.
On Nov. 2, the oil ministry requested that the Kurdish authorities allow Baghdad to use their pipeline to export Kirkuk crude but received no response, Asim Jihad told Reuters.
“Kurdish authorities are still not responding to requests made by the oil ministry to use the Kurdish pipeline to resume exports from Kirkuk,” Jihad said.
Iraq needs at least three months to repair an old pipeline which was shipping Kirkuk crude to Ceyhan port in Turkey. The main 600,000 bbl/d Kirkuk-Ceyhan pipeline had been offline since March 2014 following insurgent attacks.
Jihad said also the Kurdish natural resources ministry is not cooperating to return “necessary material” that was removed by Kurdish engineers before they fled the oilfields.
Iraqi government forces captured the major Kurdish-held oil city of Kirkuk on Oct. 16 in retaliation for a Kurdish referendum on independence which was widely opposed by Turkey, Iran and Western powers.
Recommended Reading
Hess Midstream Announces 10 Million Share Secondary Offering
2024-02-07 - Global Infrastructure Partners, a Hess Midstream affiliate, will act as the selling shareholder and Hess Midstream will not receive proceeds from the public offering of shares.
EQT CEO: Biden's LNG Pause Mirrors Midstream ‘Playbook’ of Delay, Doubt
2024-02-06 - At a Congressional hearing, EQT CEO Toby Rice blasted the Biden administration and said the same tactics used to stifle pipeline construction—by introducing delays and uncertainty—appear to be behind President Joe Biden’s pause on LNG terminal permitting.
TC Energy’s Keystone Back Online After Temporary Service Halt
2024-03-10 - As Canada’s pipeline network runs full, producers are anxious for the Trans Mountain Expansion to come online.
Enbridge Announces $500MM Investment in Gulf Coast Facilities
2024-03-06 - Enbridge’s 2024 budget will go primarily towards crude export and storage, advancing plans that see continued growth in power generated by natural gas.
Plains All American Names Michelle Podavin Midstream Canada President
2024-03-05 - Michelle Podavin, who currently serves as senior vice president of NGL commercial assets for Plains Midstream Canada, will become president of the business unit in June.