BASRA: Iraq has invited energy companies and investors to bid to build and finance the first phase of a pipeline that will eventually connect the southern city of Basra with Jordan’s Red Sea port of Aqaba.
The State Company for Oil Projects (SCOP), an oil ministry arm overseeing the project, said the first phase includes the engineering, procurement, construction and financing of oil and gas pipelines linking the Basra fields to a connecting energy station near the city of Najaf.
The initial section of the Basra-Aqaba pipeline was planned to pass through the Haditha pumping station in Anbar province, but the presence of Daesh militants in the desert area forced the oil ministry to change plans.
The pipeline will still pass through Anbar, but it will not go as far north as Haditha. By limiting the first stage to Najaf, the ministry is also delaying construction in Anbar itself.
Initial phase
SCOP manager Nihad Moussa said the closing date for bids is Dec. 25 and a bidding round is expected to be held in the first quarter of 2017.
The planned 350km pipeline will have capacity to ship 2.25 million barrels per day (bpd) and will have a parallel gas pipeline, Moussa said.
The project’s chief engineer Akram Shafeeq said that work on the initial phase of the export project should start in 2018 and end in 2020.
A proposed payments schedule was discussed with interested companies in Basra on Saturday, Shafeeq said, adding that investments would be recouped within five years of the project’s completion.
In 2013 Iraq pre-qualified 12 companies and joint ventures to build an $18 billion export pipeline to Jordan, but the project was delayed by terrorists’ takeover of territory in the west of the country where the pipeline will be laid.
Iraqi security forces have driven Daesh from several cities and towns in the western Anbar province, which borders Jordan, but the militants still hold some territory.
The plan is to export 1 million bpd of Iraqi crude to Jordan, of which 150,000 bpd will supply Jordan’s Zarqa refinery, with the remainder exported through the port of Aqaba.
Iraq invites bids to build oil export pipeline to Jordan
Iraq invites bids to build oil export pipeline to Jordan
First EU–Saudi roundtable on critical raw materials reflects shared policy commitment
RIYADH: The EU–Saudi Arabia Business and Investment Dialogue on Advancing Critical Raw Materials Value Chains, held in Riyadh as part of the Future Minerals Forum, brought together senior policymakers, industry leaders, and investors to advance strategic cooperation across critical raw materials value chains.
Organized under a Team Europe approach by the EU–GCC Cooperation on Green Transition Project, in coordination with the EU Delegation to Saudi Arabia, the European Chamber of Commerce in the Kingdom and in close cooperation with FMF, the dialogue provided a high-level platform to explore European actions under the EU Critical Raw Materials Act and ResourceEU alongside the Kingdom’s aspirations for minerals, industrial, and investment priorities.
This is in line with Saudi Vision 2030 and broader regional ambitions across the GCC, MENA, and Africa.
ResourceEU is the EU’s new strategic action plan, launched in late 2025, to secure a reliable supply of critical raw materials like lithium, rare earths, and cobalt, reducing dependency on single suppliers, such as China, by boosting domestic extraction, processing, recycling, stockpiling, and strategic partnerships with resource-rich nations.
The first ever EU–Saudi roundtable on critical raw materials was opened by the bloc’s Ambassador to the Kingdom, Christophe Farnaud, together with Saudi Deputy Minister for Mining Development Turki Al-Babtain, turning policy alignment into concrete cooperation.
Farnaud underlined the central role of international cooperation in the implementation of the EU’s critical raw materials policy framework.
“As the European Union advances the implementation of its Critical Raw Materials policy, international cooperation is indispensable to building secure, diversified, and sustainable value chains. Saudi Arabia is a key partner in this effort. This dialogue reflects our shared commitment to translate policy alignment into concrete business and investment cooperation that supports the green and digital transitions,” said the ambassador.
Discussions focused on strengthening resilient, diversified, and responsible CRM supply chains that are essential to the green and digital transitions.
Participants explored concrete opportunities for EU–Saudi cooperation across the full value chain, including exploration, mining, and processing and refining, as well as recycling, downstream manufacturing, and the mobilization of private investment and sustainable finance, underpinned by high environmental, social, and governance standards.
From the Saudi side, the dialogue was framed as a key contribution to the Kingdom’s industrial transformation and long-term economic diversification agenda under Vision 2030, with a strong focus on responsible resource development and global market integration.
“Developing globally competitive mineral hubs and sustainable value chains is a central pillar of Saudi Vision 2030 and the Kingdom’s industrial transformation. Our engagement with the European Union through this dialogue to strengthen upstream and downstream integration, attract high-quality investment, and advance responsible mining and processing. Enhanced cooperation with the EU, capitalizing on the demand dynamics of the EU Critical Raw Materials Act, will be key to delivering long-term value for both sides,” said Al-Babtain.
Valere Moutarlier, deputy director-general for European industry decarbonization, and directorate-general for the internal market, industry, entrepreneurship and SMEs at European Commission, said the EU Critical Raw Materials Act and ResourceEU provided a clear framework to strengthen Europe’s resilience while deepening its cooperation with international partners.
“Cooperation with Saudi Arabia is essential to advancing secure, sustainable, and diversified critical raw materials value chains. Dialogues such as this play a key role in translating policy ambitions into concrete industrial and investment cooperation,” she added.
