Iraq Strategic Pipeline
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Iraq Strategic Pipeline is an operating oil pipeline in Iraq.[1]
Contents
Location
The pipeline runs South from the region of Kirkuk to Basra, Iraq.
Project Details
- Operator:
- Current capacity: 1.4 million bpd
- Length:
- Status: Operating
- Start Year: 1975
Background
The Strategic Pipeline consists of two reversible, parallel lines running North from the Kirkuk region to the Persian Gulf in the South. Each line is meant to have a capacity of 700,000 bpd. One line funnels Kirkuk crude to the South for export, while its twin was intended to run oil from the Gulf up to Turkey. [2] Though the pipeline was originally planned to carry upwards of 1.4 million barrels per day (bpd), it suffered damage both in the Gulf War and again during the 2003 invasion by the United States, severely reducing its capacity. In 2012, the capacity was reportedly 50,000 bpd and was used strictly for domestic purposes.[3]
The original vision of the Strategic Pipeline project never came to fruition. By 1980 to 1981, major terminals on the narrow portion of Iraq's coastline were destroyed in the Iran-Iraq war, largely nullifying the pipeline's intended function.[4] In addition to the damage that it sustained in the Iran-Iraq war, the pipeline was further damaged in the Gulf War, further reducing its capacity.[2] In 2003, The K-3 pumping station in Haditha was destroyed along with four other southern pumping stations. In addition to the destruction, the pipeline needs major modernization.[5] Thus, the pipeline has been of little significance since its inception and has remained unidirectional, with only one pipeline functioning. The line transports crude oil south from Central and Southern Iraq to tank farms at Zubair, Tuba and al-Fao.[6]
Articles and resources
References
- ↑ Iraq Strategic Pipeline, OpenOil, accessed September 2017
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Iraq Reopens Strategic Pipeline, Iraq Business News, December 6, 2012
- ↑ Iraq Energy Outlook, International Energy Agency, accessed September 2017
- ↑ Riches Beneath the Earth, teachmiddleeast.org, accessed September 2017
- ↑ Haditha, Globalsecurity.org, accessed September 2017
- ↑ Iraqi Export Expansion Plans Hampered By Pipeline Politics, Newsbase, February 16, 2016
