Iraq’s parliament has allocated $4.96bn to build a 2.25mn b/d capacity crude oil pipeline linking Basra in the country’s far south with Haditha in northwestern Anbar province. Long term, the link is essential for diversifying Iraq’s crude oil export routes away from its dependence on Basra’s offshore terminals. Linking Basra to Haditha would enable onwards connections to Jordan, Syria and to the Turkish Mediterranean port of Ceyhan, providing new outlets. The funds were allocated earlier this month as part of an amendment to Iraq’s 2023-25 federal budget.
Haditha is the location of a key western node of Iraq’s aging pipeline system, the K-3 pumping station (see map). The planned 685km Basra-Haditha line will run in parallel to the existing 800,000 b/d ‘Strategic Pipeline’ which currently operates far below nameplate capacity at around 250,000-300,000 b/d following decades of disrepair. This is currently used to pipe volumes from Basra and other southern provinces to refineries and oil-fired plants, and the Oil Ministry says the new line will do the same but at larger throughputs and greater flexibility. (CONTINUED - 2106 WORDS)
