Iraq has completed repairs to one of two sabotaged oil pipelines that export crude from its northern fields to Turkey and aims to restart the flow this week, Iraq's oil minister said on Sunday.
The industry needs billions of dollars of investment to overhaul infrastructure and boost output after years of sanctions, war and mismanagement.
Iraq hopes to boost exports from the giant Kirkuk oilfields in the northern part of the country further next month when it will have completed repairs on the second parallel pipeline, Shahristani said.
The pipelines to Kirkuk have been mostly unusable due to sabotage since the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in March 2003.
Both pipelines were fractured in the most recent attack on July 9. The attacks forced Iraq to halt sales of Kirkuk crude from Turkey.
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Iraq Reconstructing its Oil Pipeline System
Iraq has completed repairs to one of two sabotaged oil pipelines