Iraq has invited bids from international oil and gas companies to help build a new oil export pipeline linking northern Kirkuk to Turkey
Asim Jihad, the Federal Oil Ministry spokesperson, said, “A new export pipeline will provide flexibility to make oil flows continue if we have any issues with the old pipeline.
“The pipeline may link to an existing route on the Turkish side, but several options are being considered.”
Without revealing details, Jihad added that nine of 15 firms have submitted bids. The winning bidder is likely to be announced in September.
The existing 900km existing pipeline has been the target of unrest since the beginning of this year, disrupting oil flow, Jihad said.
It has a capacity of 1.6mn bpd but carries only around 500,000 bpd due to repeated attacks, the spokesperson added.
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