Iraqi Kurds begin oil pumping from Kirkuk

Hürriyet ^

[DeaconBenjamin]

Iraq’s autonomous Kurdish region has begun to pump oil from Kirkuk fields previously controlled by Iraq’s central government into the pipeline system that runs in its own territory, a senior Iraqi oil official said on July 17.

Kirkuk lies on the disputed boundary between the northern Kurdish region and the rest of Iraq and is at the heart of a long-running dispute between Baghdad and Arbil, the Kurdish regional capital, over territory and natural resources.

Kurdish forces took control of production facilities at the Kirkuk and Bai Hassan northern fields on July 11, exploiting a power vacuum created by an Iraqi military withdrawal in the face of an Islamist insurgent offensive.

Around 20,000 bpd

The Iraqi official told Reuters by telephone from Baghdad the Kurdish region had started to pump crude from one of the Kirkuk domes to the Khurmala dome, out of which the Kurdish pipeline runs, using an existing connection.

“They are using a pipeline which was originally used to send crude from [Kurdish region], but they have now reversed it [to use it by the Kurdish region],” the official said, estimating the quantity at around 20,000-25,000 barrels of oil per day.

The Kurdish Ministry of Natural Resources could not immediately be reached for comment.

Kirkuk’s Baba and Avana geological formations were previously administered by Baghdad before the July 11 takeover. The Kirkuk region’s third formation, Khurmala, has long been under the control of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG).

Kurdish forces took control of Kirkuk a month ago, making good on a longtime territorial claim to the city, after Iraqi troops left in the face of a lightning assault by Islamic State insurgents, who have seized large parts of northern and western Iraq, but not well-defended Iraqi Kurdistan.

The Kirkuk and Bai Hassan oilfields have a combined production capacity of 450,000 bpd but have not been producing significant volumes since March, when Iraq’s Kirkuk-Ceyhan export pipeline was sabotaged by Islamist militants.

Last year, Baghdad signed a deal for BP BP.L to revive the Kirkuk oilfield, a plan that the KRG has rejected as illegal.

[demshateGod]

Congratulations to the Kurds! Was the Iraq war worth the creation of an autonomous Kurdistan? Maybe not, but it’s a consolation prize.

[Sunsong]

Yeah, congrats to the Kurds. May this lead to complete independence.

[ScottinVA]

Maybe not, but it’s a consolation prize.

Absolutely. The Kurds are definitely a higher grade of people.

[Red Badger]

I read that the Turks, of all people, are encouraging them..............

[chuckee]

When the Kurds are done with that, Mosul’s oil refineries await them if they can boot ISIS outta there. Good for them.Let the Arab sunnis and shias down south have fun shooting at each other while the Kurds live long and prosper.

[HiTech RedNeck]

Per Wikipedia, Kurds are a diverse group, embracing a variety of beliefs ranging from mild or mystical forms of Islam to pagan practices to Christianity. From the lack of reports, I would infer there isn’t much internal strife over matters of faith among Kurds.

[pallis]

I hope the Kurds get it all.

[tflabo]

Kurds are pro-Israel—maybe getting the blessings of Genesis 12.

[tbw2]

The Kurds are one of the largest ethnic groups without a nation of their own.
Turkey may be encouraging “Kurdistan” to push Kurds in Turkey to, easing the ethnic strife they otherwise cause.
Or it may be supporting Kurdistan so that the Kurds fight ISIS in Iraq, instead of the war spreading to Turkey.
Or Turkey may be supporting the Kurds to get the oil in an increasingly turbulent time - and not having to rely on Russia like its European neighbors.