Kirkuk-Baniyas Oil Pipelines

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Kirkuk-Baniyas Oil Pipelines, خطوط نفط كركوك - بانياس, خط النفط العراقي - السوري are a series of proposed and mothballed oil pipelines, running from the Kirkuk oil field in Iraq to the Baniyas terminal in Syria.

Location

The pipelines run and are proposed to run from the Kirkuk oil fields in Iraq to the Baniyas terminal in Syria.

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Project Details

Main Pipeline

• Operator: British Petroleum (BP)
• Owner: Iraq Petroleum Company (IPC)
• Parent Company: Iraq Ministry of Oil
• Capacity: 300,000 barrels per day
• Length: 850 kilometers
• Diameter: 32-30 inches
• Status: mothballed
• Start Year: 1952
• Cost:
• Financing:
• Associated infrastructure: Kirkiuk-Tripoli Pipeline, Kirkuk-Haifa Oil Pipeline

Rehabilitation Pipeline

• Operator: Stroytransgaz
• Owner:
• Parent Company: Iraq Ministry of Oil
• Capacity: 300,000 barrels per day
• Length: 800 kilometers
• Diameter:
• Status: Shelved
• Start Year:
• Cost: $8 Billion
• Financing:
• Associated infrastructure:

Heavy Oil Pipeline

• Operator:
• Owner:
• Parent Company: Iraq Ministry of Oil
• Capacity: 1500000 barrels per day
• Length: 800 kilometers
• Diameter:
• Status: Shelved
• Start Year:
• Cost:
• Financing:
• Associated infrastructure:

Light Oil Pipeline

• Operator:
• Owner:
• Parent Company: Iraq Ministry of Oil
• Capacity: 1250000 barrels per day
• Length: 800 kilometers
• Diameter:
• Status: Shelved
• Start Year:
• Cost:
• Financing:
• Associated infrastructure:

Hybrid Rehabilitation Pipeline

• Operator:
• Owner:
• Parent Company:
• Capacity: 700,000 bpd
• Length: 800 kilometers
• Diameter:
• Status: Proposed
• Start Year:
• Cost: 4.5 - 8.0 billion USD
• Financing:
• Associated infrastructure:

Background

The existing Kirkuk-Baniyas oil pipeline was built in 1952 and operated at a capacity of approximately 300,000 bpd. The 800 kilometer pipeline was shut down in 1982 due to political issues between Iraq's and Syria's Ba'ath parties and only reopened briefly in 2000 to bypass UN sanctions. However, after the invasion of 2003, the aging pipeline was severely damaged and has remained inoperable since.

The Kikruk-Baniyas pipeline is part of a historic system that links oil fields in northern Iraq to the Mediterranean. The system also includes the Kirkuk-Tripoli Oil Pipeline and the Kirkuk-Haifa Oil Pipeline. The Iraq-Mediterranean pipelines "were the first major transit pipelines in the region and the longest oil pipeline system in the world at the time of their construction in the mid-1930s."

In 2007, Syria and Iraq agreed to rehabilitate the decrepit and war-damaged pipeline. In 2009, a delegation from various Russian companies came together to partner with both countries to either rehabilitate or replace the oil pipeline. In 2010, a decision was made to replace the pipeline system with two separate pipelines, one for heavy oil, and another for light oil, rather than rehabilitate due to the high costs of the proposed rehabilitation project. In 2011, Iraq was seeking to bring in foreign investors to finance the project.

In 2025, new interest surged to reactivate the pipeline by rehabilitating some portions and building new infrastructure: "Preliminary estimates suggest reconstruction could exceed $4.5bn, with construction lasting around 36 months. Plans include a dual line capable of 1.5 million barrels per day, modern pumping and monitoring stations, and rerouting part of the old path in Deir Ezzor to a shorter route south of Homs."The project gained renewed urgency after the June 2025 conflict between Israel and Iran raised fears of a blockade at the Strait of Hormuz, a critical chokepoint for global oil transit."