Energy Minister Bayraktar to Anadolu: The Development Road could become an $80 billion-a-year energy corridor

A new chapter in Türkiye–Iraq energy ties

What came out of Iraqi Oil Minister Khudair's visit to Ankara?

At a time when regional developments have made security of supply more critical than ever, we are taking energy relations between Türkiye and Iraq to a new and much stronger level.

After the crude oil transport contract signed last August between our national company BOTAŞ and SOMO and NOC, we are finalising our roadmap for a new, long-term and more comprehensive agreement. To that end, we plan to launch joint working groups that will quickly deliver projects in oil and gas infrastructure, exploration and production, oil trade, refining and petrochemicals, and electricity.

The Development Road: more than a transport corridor

How do you position the Development Road project?

As Türkiye, we are determined to build the Development Road not only as a transport corridor but as a strategic 'energy road' supported by oil, natural gas and electricity transmission lines along the route. If the energy infrastructure is developed simultaneously and in an integrated way, the economic value of the route will rise significantly.

On the oil side, how much capacity could this route reach?

The route could reach a transport capacity of up to 2.5 million barrels of oil per day. A significant share of the region's output could be directed this way.

If we reach a capacity of 2.5 million barrels a day, and the production is there in Iraq: Iraq produces 4 million barrels. Kuwait produces 2 million barrels of oil a day. So if we can put 50 percent, 40 percent of that on this route, its economic value comes to roughly $65-70 billion a year.

An alternative to Hormuz for Qatari gas

What does the project offer in terms of natural gas?

The Development Road also carries significant potential for natural gas. Qatar, the Gulf's most important gas exporter, ships its gas largely by LNG tanker and depends on the Strait of Hormuz to do so. Turning the Development Road into an energy road could create an alternative route for Qatari gas.

If you add a project in which Qatari gas comes to Türkiye via Iraq, especially through this Development Road once it is turned into an energy road, with some of the gas staying in Türkiye and some exported to Europe, then oil and gas alone create an economic size of $80 billion a year. The Development Road will no longer be just a project that strengthens trade and transport links between Iraq and Türkiye; it can become a multidimensional energy corridor that also covers oil, gas and electricity infrastructure.

"We aim to make Ceyhan a global energy hub"

What are your goals for the Kirkuk-Ceyhan line and TPAO's role in Iraq?

With security of supply now critical, alternatives to the Strait of Hormuz are gaining importance. We consider it important to extend the Kirkuk-Ceyhan Pipeline to Basra and raise its capacity, so that it offers a strong alternative to the Gulf region and the Strait of Hormuz.

We aim for our national company TPAO to play an active role not only in the Kirkuk fields but in other fields in Iraq as well, to reach the target of 1 million barrels of crude supply set out by Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi, and to make Ceyhan a global energy hub by increasing trade volume.

In close cooperation with the new Iraqi government, we will continue firmly to implement these concrete projects for the stability and prosperity of our shared region.