Latest news with #Bayraktar
Rudaw Net
3 hours ago
- Business
- Rudaw Net
Turkey wants to use full capacity of pipeline with Iraq: Minister
Also in Middle East Turkey calls on SDF to expedite integration with Damascus Turkey says SDF must prove commitment to integration deal with Damascus Turkey accuses Israel of trying to 'divide Syria,' vows to intervene Iraq says Turkey ready to renew, expand oil export deal A+ A- ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Turkey's energy minister said on Wednesday that his country has notified Iraq that it is willing to extend the decades-long oil agreement with Iraq but with modifications that ensure the full use of the Iraq-Turkey pipeline. Last week, the Iraqi oil ministry said Ankara had officially expressed its willingness to renew and expand the 1973 oil export agreement with Baghdad. Turkey has confirmed sending a letter to Baghdad that included a draft of a broader energy cooperation deal covering oil, gas, petrochemicals, and electricity. Turkish Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar said on Tuesday that his country expects neighboring Iraq to use the full capacity of the Iraq-Turkey pipeline, telling the state-run Anadolu Agency on Wednesday that they are also seeking the export of oil from southern Iraq, in addition to Kurdish oil. "We are telling Iraq, 'Iraq has a daily oil export of 4 million barrels. All of it goes through Basra. Here, however, there is a different route with 1.5 million barrels. You can easily present almost 40 percent of your oil to the world through a different route. Moreover, you can reach different geographies and markets such as Europe and the Mediterranean,'" he said. He reiterated Ankara's willingness to extend the 1973 deal with Iraq but with modifications, blaming the deal for 'legal impasse' since 2014, referring to Kurdistan Region's independent oil exports through Turkey since 2014. A Paris-based arbitration court in 2023 ruled in favor of Baghdad against Ankara, saying the latter had violated the 1973 agreement. This immediately halted the Kurdish oil exports, which have yet to resume due to unresolved tensions between Erbil and Baghdad. 'Therefore, we said this agreement is not commercially or legally beneficial. Let's not extend this,' the Turkish minister said. He noted that the proposed agreement asks Iraq to export more oil through the pipeline. 'At the core of that agreement is this: let's use the full capacity of this pipeline in a way that there won't be any legal disputes between us. Let 1.5 million barrels of oil flow from here. This is our goal,' Bayraktar stated. "To reach 1.5 million barrels, this pipeline needs to go south. Because in the north [Kurdistan Region], with production including Kirkuk, you can perhaps fill it up to half capacity." An energy advisor to the Kurdistan Region's prime minister said on Tuesday that the Iraq-Turkey pipeline has surpassed its lifespan and will require 'costly' renovation if the Kurdistan Region's long-stalled oil exports are to resume. 'Normally and under international standards, the lifespan of oil pipelines is between 40 to 50 years. After that period, it becomes very old and needs special maintenance, which entails very high costs. Basically, the contract was for 50 years and has expired for that pipeline,' Kamal Atroshi explained. Noting that the line is not beyond use, Atroshi said that any future operation would require extensive repair and favorable terms for both Iraq and Turkey. 'If an agreement is made to renovate that pipeline again, it has the capacity to work and its maintenance and repair costs and transit fees… are economically suitable for both sides, then it's possible. It's a very strong possibility,' he said. 'Certainly, this also has great benefits for Turkey.'
Ammon
5 hours ago
- Business
- Ammon
Turkey to start providing Syria with natural gas on August 2
Ammon News - Turkey will start providing Syria with natural gas from August 2, Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar told state-owned Anadolu news agency on Wednesday, adding Azerbaijan would also be involved in the exports running through Turkey's Kilis province. During a visit to Damascus in May, Turkish Energy Minister Bayraktar had said Turkey would provide Syria with 2 billion cubic metres of natural gas annually, in addition to 1,000 megawatts of electricity. He had said this month that Azerbaijan's SOCAR may be a partner in the project as well. On Wednesday, he said the natural gas provision would help Syria address its electricity needs as well, adding this would be used as fuel in electricity production at Syria's existing power plants. "We made a swap agreement with Azerbaijan, and the gas that will come from Azerbaijan will be exported to Aleppo, Syria, via Kilis," he said, adding Qatar would also be involved in this in terms of financing, and that ministers from the three countries would mark the start of the gas flow in a ceremony on Saturday. "With the 6 million cubic metres of gas that we are planning to send there, we will be able to realise 1,200 megawatts of electricity production," he added.
Iraqi News
13 hours ago
- Business
- Iraqi News
Turkey seeks full usage of oil pipeline with Iraq
Baghdad ( – Turkish Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar revealed on Monday that a suggested new energy deal between Turkey and Iraq must incorporate an approach to secure full usage of the two countries' oil pipelines. An official in the Iraqi Oil Ministry revealed last week that Ankara has submitted a proposal to Baghdad to renew and broaden the energy agreement between the two countries to encompass cooperation in oil, gas, petrochemicals, and electricity. The official's statements took place following Ankara's announcement that the long-running oil pipeline arrangement with Iraq, reached in 1973, will be terminated in 2026. The initial agreement between the two countries, established in July 1973, will expire on July 27, 2026, together with any relevant protocols, annexes, and extensions. The 1973 agreement paved the way for the Iraq-Turkey crude oil pipeline. This critical infrastructure project enabled the transit of millions of barrels of Iraqi oil to the Turkish port of Ceyhan on the Mediterranean. Bayraktar told reporters following a cabinet meeting that the pipeline has a capacity of over 1.5 million barrels per day, explaining that it has never reached this capacity when oil flows were ongoing, according to Reuters. The Turkish minister stated that Turkey's proposal contained alternatives such as stretching the pipeline to southern Iraq. To reach the pipeline's full capacity, it needs to be extended to the southern part of Iraq, according to Bayraktar. After the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) in Paris determined that Ankara had broken a 1973 convention by allowing oil exports without the permission of Baghdad, oil flows via the Iraq-Turkey oil pipeline were halted. Efforts to restore oil exports have accelerated in 2025, with the Iraqi government approving a new oil agreement between Baghdad and the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) in July.
Shafaq News
a day ago
- Business
- Shafaq News
Turkiye seeks full use of Kirkuk–Ceyhan pipeline in new Iraq deal
Shafaq News – Baghdad/Ankara Turkiye's Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar called for a new energy agreement with Iraq that includes a mechanism to ensure the full use of the Kirkuk–Ceyhan oil pipeline. Speaking after a cabinet meeting, Bayraktar stressed that the pipeline, which has a capacity of 1.5 million barrels per day, has 'never been used at full capacity even during operational periods.' The pipeline has been offline since 2023 after an arbitration ruling ordered Ankara to pay $1.5B to Baghdad for unauthorized oil exports between 2014 and 2018, a decision Turkiye is appealing. Bayraktar noted that Turkiye's decades-old energy accord with Iraq expires in 2026 and proposed extending it to cover gas, electricity, and petrochemicals in addition to oil. He also suggested the pipeline could eventually be extended to southern Iraq, linking it to the country's Development Road project, which aims to connect Basra to Turkiye and onward to Europe.
Kuwait Times
3 days ago
- Business
- Kuwait Times
Kuwait explores use of Bayraktar TB2 drones for environmental monitoring
Newly-acquired drones to support surveillance of borders, critical infrastructure KUWAIT: Kuwait is moving to integrate its newly acquired Bayraktar TB2 drones into environmental surveillance and civilian operations, according to a statement by the General Staff of the Army following a high-level coordination meeting held Sunday. The meeting, chaired by Deputy Chief of the General Staff Lt Gen Sabah Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, gathered senior military officials and representatives from the Ministry of Public Works, Kuwait Municipality, and the Environment Public Authority, alongside other civil and security agencies. Discussions focused on how to organize reconnaissance flights and enhance the use of drone-generated data across state institutions, 'in support of observation and follow-up efforts' and to 'enhance the state's capabilities in addressing security and environmental changes,' the statement said. The meeting also reviewed the technical systems onboard the Bayraktar drone and explored its applications in defense, environmental monitoring, and the protection of vital infrastructure and borders. Lt Gen Al-Sabah emphasized the importance of using the drone beyond military settings. 'The utilization of the Bayraktar drone's capabilities is not limited to the military side only but extends to include many civilian sectors of the state,' he said. He called for greater coordination between military and civilian entities to maximize the benefits of this advanced aerial system. He described the drone as 'a qualitative leap in capabilities for monitoring, environmental surveillance, and the protection of facilities and borders,' and underscored the responsibility to invest and deploy the system effectively. The Bayraktar TB2 is capable of flying non-stop for 24 hours, carrying up to 650 kilograms. In 2019, it completed a test flight in Kuwait that lasted 27 hours and 3 minutes, despite high temperatures, strong winds, and sandstorms. The coordination meeting follows the arrival of Kuwait's first Bayraktar drones earlier this month, after a $367 million purchase agreement was signed with Turkish defense company Baykar in January 2023. Kuwait became the 28th country to acquire the TB2, a drone that has been used in conflict zones including Ukraine, Libya, and Azerbaijan. Kuwait has also been training personnel for drone operations, with the first batch of TB2 operators graduating in Turkey in July 2024, and a second group earlier this year. While Kuwait's discussions mark an early step in integrating drones into environmental oversight, drones have increasingly been used for that purpose in recent years. In Pakistan's Punjab province, officials launched a drone-linked environmental monitoring system in September 2024 to track factory emissions and enforce environmental laws. In the Arctic, high-speed drones were tested earlier this year to assess the rate of glacier retreat in Greenland. Research also points to the use of drones at landfills to detect methane emissions with high spatial and temporal precision, offering a low-cost alternative to traditional monitoring methods. — Agencies
