Baku, Azerbaijan, May 11
By Maksim Tsurkov - Trend:
Azerbaijan's state oil company SOCAR has put forward a proposal to Russia's Gazprom for purchasing 3 to 5 billion cubic meters of gas a year, SOCAR President Rovnag Abdullayev told reporters May 11 in Baku.
"Currently, we are awaiting their decision," he said, adding that currently there is no progress in talks with the Russian side.
SOCAR's president noted that the Azerbaijani gas is primarily needed for injection into reservoirs at Azeri-Chirag-Guneshli block of oil and gas fields in the Azerbaijani sector of the Caspian Sea, that's to say, to maintain a stable oil production.
"The gas purchase will enable us to increase the volume of its injection into reservoirs, as well as to test the capacity of our gas storage facilities," said Abdullayev, adding that currently, their capacity nears 3.5 billion cubic meters, but in theory, it is possible to increase it to more than 5 billion cubic meters.
The gas swap with Gazprom will enable Azerbaijan to ensure the gas supply to southern regions of Russia and to test its own gas storage facilities [Kalmaz and Garadagh].
Currently, Gazprom has a contract for purchasing the Azerbaijani gas. This contract makes it possible to suspend and resume the gas supply any time.
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