Türkiye Makes Full Pipeline Use 'Core Demand' in New Iraq Energy Pact
Türkiye has made full utilization of the Kirkuk-Ceyhan pipeline a core demand in a new energy deal with Iraq. Ankara proposes extending the pipeline to southern Iraq to reach its 1.5 million bpd capacity as the current agreement nears its 2026 expiration.
ERBIL (Kurdistan24) – Türkiye has made the full utilization of the vital Kirkuk-Ceyhan oil pipeline a central condition in negotiations for a new, expanded energy agreement with Iraq, according to statements from Turkish Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar.
Speaking to reporters after a cabinet meeting on Monday, Bayraktar laid out Türkiye’s core demands for a future pact, stating that Ankara has formally submitted a proposal to Baghdad that includes "a mechanism to ensure full use of this pipeline," as reported by Zawya News Agency.
The strategic pipeline, which has been offline since 2023, is a critical component of the discussions as the current pipeline agreement between the two countries is set to expire in July 2026.
“This pipeline has a capacity of almost 1.5 million barrels per day,” Bayraktar said, according to Zawya. “There’s no flow at the moment. Even when it did flow, it was never at full capacity.”
The Kirkuk-Ceyhan pipeline has been shut down following a 2023 international arbitration court ruling that ordered Türkiye to pay $1.5 billion in damages to Iraq over unauthorized oil exports that occurred between 2014 and 2018. According to reports from both Oil&Gas Middle East and Zawya, Türkiye is appealing that ruling.
The new proposal from Ankara goes significantly beyond the existing pipeline accord. An Iraqi official confirmed to Zawya News Agency that Türkiye has proposed expanding the deal to encompass broader cooperation in oil, gas, petrochemicals, and electricity.
To achieve the goal of full pipeline utilization, Bayraktar outlined an ambitious plan that could involve extending the pipeline’s reach. “It (the pipeline) doesn't have to be filled entirely with oil from Iraq. To reach those figures, the pipeline needs to reach the south anyway,” he said, suggesting that a pipeline extension to southern Iraq could help it reach its full capacity.
The Turkish government is also linking the pipeline’s future to Iraq’s Development Road Project. As both Oil&Gas Middle East and Zawya noted, Türkiye views the planned high-speed road and rail transport corridor—running from Iraq's port city of Basrah to the Turkish border—as an opportunity to deepen regional energy ties and potentially extend the pipeline south.
Negotiations between Ankara and Baghdad on the new, comprehensive energy pact are ongoing, with the July 2026 expiration of the current agreement serving as a deadline for reaching a resolution.
