Iraq aims to double oil flows through export pipeline

2 October 2025

Iraq aims to more than double oil flows through the recently reopened Iraq-Turkiye Pipeline (ITP) before the end of the year, according to the Iraqi state oil marketing company Somo.

Somo aims to transport between 400,000 and 500,000 barrels a day (b/d) by 2026, says Somo spokesperson Rikan Kareem.

Pipeline flows were running at 150,000-160,000 b/d on 29 September after reopening on 27 September.

The oil tanker Vallesina is expected to load 700,000 barrels of Iraqi Kurdistan crude oil at Turkiye’s Ceyhan port, becoming the first tanker to load Iraqi Kurdistan crude in more than two and a half years.

Since oil flows restarted to Turkiye from Iraqi Kurdistan on 27 September, stakeholder sentiment has improved about the outlook for the oil sector in northern Iraq.

The oil pipeline shutdown, which began two and a half years ago, weighed heavily on the region, costing tens of billions of dollars in lost revenues, according to the Association of the Petroleum Industry of Kurdistan (Apikur).

During this period, numerous oil projects were put on hold and oil smuggling flourished as producers sold cheap crude into the local market.

The economic strain also led to salary delays for public sector workers and cuts to essential services.

The pipeline restart came after eight oil companies operating in Iraqi Kurdistan, representing over 90% of production, reached agreements with Baghdad and the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) to resume exports.

Under the terms of the deal, the KRG will deliver the crude to Somo, and an independent trader will handle sales from the Turkish port of Ceyhan using Somo’s official prices.

The eight oil producers have agreed to accept a temporary price of $16 a barrel until a review by consultancy Wood Mackenzie is completed.

The consultancy has been contracted by the Iraqi government to assess production and transportation costs for Kurdish oil, and its assessment will inform the final payment rate.

The final review is expected to lead to a retroactive adjustment of payments.


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Wil Crisp
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