Kirkuk oil exports to restart within days
Shafaq News- Kirkuk
Iraq is set to resume oil exports from Kirkuk within days via the Kirkuk–Ceyhan pipeline after completing the connection of key pumping stations, a source at the North Oil Company told Shafaq News on Monday.
Technical teams have finished linking all secondary pumping stations connected to the K1 and AT1 facilities, and trial pumping will begin ahead of full operations to ensure network readiness and efficiency. K1 is one of the main strategic hubs in northern Iraq’s oil network, linking pipelines toward export routes, while AT1 supports pumping operations and improves system flexibility.
The source added that the teams are fully prepared for the trial phase and ready to address any issues during initial operations, with close monitoring planned before full-scale pumping resumes.
The development comes as authorities move to restore oil transport infrastructure in Kirkuk following periods of disruption caused by technical and security challenges. Ali Khalil, an economic expert, told our agency that restarting pumping from Kirkuk would help increase Iraq’s export capacity, particularly from northern fields with underutilized production potential.
Improving oil transport infrastructure would reduce bottlenecks and boost export efficiency, directly supporting state revenues and providing additional fiscal space amid economic pressures, he said. Stable export operations “could strengthen confidence among foreign energy companies and open the door for new investment in field development and infrastructure,” provided that authorities maintain a secure and stable operating environment.
At the local level, reactivating the oil sector in Kirkuk could stimulate economic activity by creating jobs and supporting related sectors such as transport and services, according to Khalil. Higher production and exports could further give the government more financial room to improve basic services, particularly in oil-producing provinces facing infrastructure shortages.
Despite the positive outlook, Khalil stressed the need for efficient and transparent resource management, calling for diversification of income sources to reduce reliance on oil revenues. Baghdad currently depends on oil for 90% of its revenue.
Read more: Iraq’s oil bottleneck: Abundance trapped by dependency
