03-03-2025
Iraqi Oil Committee announces Kurdistan's export estimates to Turkiye
Shafaq News/ On Sunday, the Iraqi parliamentary Oil, Gas, and Natural Resources Committee confirmed that all procedures have been completed for resuming the crude oil exports from the Kurdistan Region through the Turkish port of Ceyhan.
The committee revealed that the estimated quantities to be exported will range between 300,000 to 325,000 barrels per day.
Ali Shaddad Al-Faris, spokesperson for the committee, told Shafaq News Agency that the federal oil ministry has officially notified the Turkish side of its readiness to resume exports, and is now awaiting Turkish approval to begin the process. This follows a recent amendment to the national budget law, which has now entered into effect.
Al-Faris also noted that the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) has requested an increase in its share of domestic consumption, which is fixed in the budget. The 2023-2025 federal budget, approved earlier by the Iraqi parliament, set the estimated domestic consumption in the Kurdistan Region at 46,000 barrels per day.
However, following the budget amendment, the KRG has demanded an increase in this figure to 110,000 barrels per day, a move that Al-Faris described as 'a violation of the national budget law and the recent amendments passed by the Iraqi parliament.'
The spokesperson emphasized that following the latest budget amendments, the KRG is now obligated to deliver its oil share to SOMO, Iraq's state oil marketing company. He further stated that the term "negotiating delegations" – often used by the KRG – is no longer valid, as the legal framework set by the budget amendments must be implemented without deviation.
Al-Faris reiterated that the budget law, which was passed by the Iraqi parliament and endorsed by KRG lawmakers, must be adhered to, and no exceptions should be made, calling on Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani and the federal oil ministry to ensure the full implementation of the national budget and its amendments.
The spokesperson also pointed out that the KRG has expressed its inability to meet the estimated oil export quantities of 300,000 to 325,000 barrels per day, as outlined in the budget, which could hinder the full application of the law.
'These recurring issues raised by the Kurdistan Regional Government are nothing but obstacles to the implementation of laws passed by the Iraqi parliament,' Al-Faris added.
On Sunday, informed sources reported that a KRG delegation had arrived in Baghdad to finalize arrangements for the resumption of oil exports via the Turkish pipeline. According to one source, a meeting was held between the KRG's Ministry of Natural Resources and officials from the Iraqi Ministry of Oil to resolve the remaining issues related to oil exports from the region's fields.
A separate source noted that this meeting, originally scheduled for Tuesday, was advanced due to recent developments in the negotiations, though further details were not provided.
Meanwhile, the Iraqi Ministry of Oil called on international oil companies operating in the Kurdistan Region, which are under the "Abu Khor" umbrella, to attend a meeting in Baghdad scheduled for Tuesday, March 4, 2025.
Last Friday, eight international oil companies operating in the Kurdistan Region announced that they would not resume exports via the Ceyhan port, despite Baghdad's announcement of the imminent resumption.
Earlier, Iraq's Deputy Prime Minister for Energy Affairs and Minister of Oil Hayan Abdul Ghani confirmed that the resumption of oil exports from the Kurdistan Region through the Turkish port would begin within hours.
