Jordan and Iraq change route of oil pipeline due to ISIS

Iraq’s ambassador to Amman said on Friday that his country has agreed with Jordan about changing the route of the oil pipeline which was planned to go through Al-Anbar Governorate towards the kingdom, Anadolu has reported.

Jawad Abbas said that the proposed new pipeline will now go through Al-Basra, Al-Najaf, the Iraq-Saudi border and then into Jordan. The new route has been chosen due to security fears over ISIS, which controls large swathes of land in Al-Anbar.

The ambassador also revealed that international firms which had bid for the project have withdrawn their offers due to security fears, also related to ISIS. Jordanian Prime Minister Abdullah Al-Nsour said this week that two Iraqi companies have applied for the project and the applications are still under discussion in order to get the best deal.

The cost of the pipeline is estimated at $18 billion; when completed, it will supply Jordan with around 150,000 barrels of oil a day from Iraq, which will use the same pipeline for exports to other countries. A gas pipeline will be laid alongside it.