TotalEnergies CEO calls for pipeline alternatives to Strait of Hormuz

PARIS, France — PARIS — The chief executive of French energy company TotalEnergies said alternative pipeline routes for Middle East oil and gas exports are needed to reduce reliance on the Strait of Hormuz, Reuters reported. Speaking at an energy conference in Paris, Patrick Pouyanné said Iraq has multiple potential routes to reach Mediterranean ports via Turkey and Syria, as well as global markets through Gulf countries. He said recent tensions in the region have underlined the need to strengthen energy infrastructure and develop alternative export corridors. Pouyanné noted that TotalEnergies was among the first companies to discover oil in Iraq in 1928 and completed a pipeline connecting Iraq to Syria within six years, transporting crude to Mediterranean ports. He pointed to that earlier project as evidence that similar investments remain feasible. About one-fifth of global oil supply passes through the Strait of Hormuz. Pouyanné said new pipeline routes would enhance global energy security and reduce risks associated with the key maritime chokepoint.