Gloom falls on Kurdish oil
Iraq’s autonomous northern province had bold energy plans, but mounting debts, conflict and subterranean trouble are taking their toll
FOR the Kurdish region of northern Iraq the energy honeymoon is over – at least for now. A slump in oil revenue resulting from depressed global prices is just one negative factor among a slew of problems facing the Kurdish Regional Government (KRG). One of the key concerns for Iraqi Kurds is the degree to which it relies on a single oil-export route: the Iraq Turkey Pipeline (ITP) to Ceyhan on the Mediterranean coast. From 17 February until 11 March the ITP was closed, denying the KRG revenue from the 0.6m barrels a day of oil that would normally have been flowing through it. During the entire month of March, Kurdish oil exports averaged only around 327,000 b/d. The ITP was shut on the order
Also in this section
23 April 2026
The addition of an oil pipeline to the Power of Siberia 2 gas project could ensure deliveries of Russian oil to China, materially shorten logistics lines between West Siberia and final customers, and—amid disruption in the Strait of Hormuz—offer a land-based export route that reduces exposure to maritime chokepoints
23 April 2026
There is a clear push to bolster exports to Asia amid uncertainty around its North American neighbour, but there are limits to the benefits from the energy crisis
23 April 2026
Shell made the play-opening discovery in Namibia’s Orange basin back in 2022, but its next well could decide whether the project can actually be commercialised
22 April 2026
The failure of OMV Petrom’s keenly watched exploration campaign at Bulgaria’s Han Asparuh block highlights the Black Sea’s uneven track record, despite major successes like Neptun Deep and Sakarya
