Iraqi MP attributes Kurdish oil export Stalemate to political reluctance
Shafaq News/ Some political entities and individuals withinIraq’s federal oil ministry are not serious about resuming the export of oilfrom the Kurdistan region via the Turkish Ceyhan pipeline, according to NahroMahmoud, a member of the parliamentary oil and gas committee.
Since the cessation of Kurdistan oil exports on March 24,2024, the federal oil ministry has compensated for the Region's 400,000 barrelsper day (bpd) from southern governorates to maintain Iraq's OPEC export quota,Mahmoud noted.
OPEC has allocated Iraq the right to export 3.5 million bpd,meaning the southern governorates' contribution has not affected Iraq’s overalloil export levels, Mahmoud explained.
“If an agreement is reached between the federal governmentand the Regional Government to resume Kurdistan’s oil exports, the federalgovernment must reduce 400,000 bpd from the south to accommodate the Regionalexports.”
He also highlighted a sticking point: Baghdad and Erbil haveyet to agree on the production cost per barrel for oil companies operating inthe Kurdistan Region, further complicating the resumptionofexports.
