Iraq is looking to upgrade the south-north connectivity of its ageing pipeline network, according to MEES, forming the backbone of future cross-border export routes, MEES said.

• Iraq’s parliament has allocated $4.96m to build a 2.25m b/d capacity crude oil pipeline linking Basra in the country’s far south to Haditha in northwestern Anbar province, according to MEES.
• The link is essential in the long term for diversifying Iraq’s crude oil exports routes away from its dependence rom Basra’s offshore terminals.
• Linking Basra to Haditha would facilitate onward connections to Jordan, Syria, and to Turkey’s Ceyhan.
• The planned pipeline will run parallel to the existing 0.8m b/d ‘Strategic Pipeline’, which is currently operating at only around 0.3m b/d due to decades of disrepair.