TotalEnergies pushes alternative Iraqi pipelines to west

Shafaq News- Paris

France’s TotalEnergies on Wednesday warned that reliance on the Strait of Hormuz leaves energy supplies vulnerable to regional tensions, noting that Iraq could connect its oil and gas output to global markets through Turkiye and Syria, alongside existing routes via Gulf states.

Speaking at an energy conference in Paris, Patrick Pouyanne, the company's chief executive, urged faster development of alternative export routes from the Middle East, arguing that lessons should be drawn from the energy crisis of the past three months.

"When you are in Iraq and you need to reach the sea, you can go down through Kuwait and Saudi Arabia," Pouyanne remarked.

He also recalled that Total discovered oil in Iraq in 1928 and built an Iraq-Syria pipeline in six years, stressing that "if our predecessors did it 100 years ago, I believe we should be capable of doing it again today."

The Strait of Hormuz, which carries roughly 20% of the world's oil, remained largely closed by Iran from Feb. 28 in response to the US-Israeli war, disrupting regional energy flows. Iraq, which channels about 95% of its crude exports through the waterway, was among the countries most affected by the disruption.

The strategic maritime gateway reopened after a US-Iran memorandum of understanding (MoU) entered into force on June 18. Under the arrangement, the two sides established a direct communication channel for Hormuz to help ensure the safe passage of commercial vessels during the 60-day implementation period.

Read more: No exit but Hormuz: Iraq's economic vulnerability exposed