Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) – Turkey intends to develop the planned Development Road from Iraq’s southern ports to Europe into a multi-fuel energy corridor worth $80 billion annually.
According to Turkish Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar, this strategic route will go beyond typical freight transit by incorporating crucial infrastructure for oil, natural gas, and power transmission.
In a statement to Anadolu Agency (AA), Bayraktar expressed Turkey’s enthusiasm for building the Development Road not merely as a transport corridor but also as a strategic energy route. This route would be bolstered by the inclusion of oil, natural gas, and electricity transmission lines along its path.
Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi instructed in July the establishment of a defined structure to finance and implement the strategic project of the Development Road, assuring the start of practical steps within a planned timeline.
In early June, the head of the state-owned General Company for Ports of Iraq (GCPI), Farhan al-Fartousi, said that the planning process for the project and the al-Faw Grand Port has made tremendous progress, with essential operating plans already submitted to the government.
The project will enter the implementation phase following government approval in the coming months, according to al-Fartousi.
The $17 billion project, which will connect the al-Faw Grand Port in southern Iraq to the Turkish border by constructing a railway and road network, is anticipated to transform Iraq into a transit center by cutting the time it takes to travel from Asia to Europe.
In addition to pipelines for energy transportation, the project’s railway will significantly assist in the transportation of commodities, with a first-phase capacity of 3.5 million tons and a second-phase capacity of 7.5 million tons.
By connecting the port city of Basra to Turkey via an overland route, the logistics project will compete with Egypt’s Suez Canal and establish Basra as a gateway to Europe.
In 2024, Turkey formed a council involving Bulgaria, Hungary, and Serbia to arrange the connection of Europe with Iraq’s Development Road.
As a worldwide corridor for commodities and energy transportation, the project is expected to attract international commerce and create considerable employment opportunities and investment possibilities in Iraq and other countries in the region.
