Kirkuk oil still hostage to political stalemates
Kurdistan's export pipeline to Turkey is the key to unlocking stranded Kirkuk production, but Baghdad, Erbil, and Ankara cannot agree on terms.
Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi (center) and Oil Minister Jabbar al-Luiebi (center-right) meet in Baghdad on Jan. 20, 2018, with KRG Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani (center-left) and his delegation. (Iraqi Prime Minister's media office)
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Iraq still cannot exploit the majority of Kirkuk's oil production capacity, despite optimistic statements from Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi and recent diplomatic efforts with Turkey.
The Bai Hassan field and the Avana Dome of the Kirkuk field are together capable of producing almost 300,000 barrels per day (bpd), but they are entirely shut down because their output would have nowhere to go. The fields are connected to Kurdistan's export pipeline to Turkey, but political disputes are preventing Baghdad-controlled oil from flowing through infrastructure under Erbil and Ankara's authority.
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