Iraq's project to build a new oil pipeline through Syria to reduce dependence on supplies via the Strait of Hormuz could take about four years and require at least $15 billion, Reuters sources reported.
"Construction work alone could take about four years. The final cost and timeline may change depending on construction conditions and the situation in Syria," they noted.
It is reported that the project involves creating a new pipeline system that would link southern and northern Iraqi oil fields to a central hub in Haditha in the west of the country, and then to the Syrian port of Baniyas on the Mediterranean Sea.
The existing Kirkuk-Baniyas pipeline already connects northern Iraq to the Syrian coast, but it was severely damaged during the wars in Iraq and Syria and has not been used regularly since the 1980s.
"Restoring the old infrastructure will not allow the current project to be realized. The plan calls for building a new system, as even the surviving sections of the existing pipeline do not meet modern technical requirements," a source said.
The United States has previously welcomed the reconstruction and restoration of the pipeline and stated that its initial capacity could be about 2 million barrels of crude oil per day. This significantly exceeds the capacity of the old pipeline, which was estimated at about 300,000 barrels per day.
Sources noted that the project could face additional obstacles. In particular, it may require dismantling old infrastructure and obtaining new land-use rights from the Syrian administration.
