Iraq preps for northern exports after clinching tripartite oil deal

ERBIL - Technical teams are making final preparations to restart pipeline flows to Turkey after the Iraqi federal government, the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), and oil companies signed a set of three-way agreements for cooperative oil exports. 

Several senior officials from both the Iraqi federal government and the KRG said exports are expected to begin Saturday. Personnel from Iraq’s state-run North Oil Company (NOC) are planning for test flows of limited crude volumes to run for about 24 hours, according to a senior NOC official, and if there are no problems, full-scale exports can begin. An industry official familiar with pipeline operations said pumping is scheduled to begin 6 a.m. Saturday.