Syria says Haditha-Baniyas pipeline revival to boost regional energy cooperation
DAMASCUS, Syria (North Press) – The rehabilitation of the Syria-Iraq crude oil pipeline is a strategic project that will reshape energy cooperation between the two neighboring countries and strengthen regional energy security, the head of the Syrian Petroleum Company said on Friday.
Youssef Qabalawi, chief executive officer of the Syrian Petroleum Company, said reviving the Haditha-Baniyas pipeline “is not merely an oil transportation project, but a strategic initiative that redraws the map of cooperation in the energy sector between Syria and Iraq.”
His remarks came a day after Syria’s Ministry of Energy announced the signing of two memoranda of understanding (MoUs) to revive the Syria-Iraq oil pipeline project during meetings held in the United States, attended by Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani and U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright.
In a statement published by the Syrian Petroleum Company, Qabalawi said the project would establish international partnerships capable of supporting development and enhancing energy security across the region.
He added that the two MoUs mark the beginning of a new phase of joint cooperation and long-term investment, reflecting a vision based on regional integration, infrastructure development, and the use of international expertise.
According to Qabalawi, the project aims to build a more efficient and sustainable energy sector by expanding cooperation, strengthening international partnerships, and supporting the development of oil and gas infrastructure.
“We welcome investors to enter Syria,” he said.
Under the first memorandum, signed between the Syrian Petroleum Company and Iraq’s Basra Oil Company, the two sides agreed to rehabilitate and revive the Haditha-Baniyas pipeline, historically linked to the Kirkuk-Baniyas oil pipeline, to restore a key route for transporting Iraqi crude oil.
The second memorandum, signed with an international consortium comprising Chevron, UCC Holding, and TI Capital, provides for technical and financial feasibility studies and the development of an implementation framework for rehabilitating the pipeline and its associated facilities in line with international engineering standards.
The announcements follow a statement by the U.S. Department of State welcoming Iraq and Syria’s commitment to rehabilitate the Syria-Iraq crude oil pipeline, describing it as a strategically significant infrastructure project for both countries and the wider region.
Washington also welcomed the involvement of a U.S.-led international consortium in implementing the project, saying the restored pipeline is expected to have an initial transport capacity of two million barrels of crude oil per day.
Originally built in the 1950s, the Kirkuk-Baniyas pipeline was one of Iraq’s main export routes to the Mediterranean before operations were halted following years of conflict, sanctions, and damage to the infrastructure. Reviving the corridor is expected to diversify Iraq’s oil export routes while supporting Syria’s reconstruction and regional economic integration.