Baku, Azerbaijan, Aug. 4
By Rufiz Hafizoglu - Trend:
Turkey's state pipeline company, Botas, started to restore the section of the Baku-Tbilisi-Erzurum gas pipeline's main line that was earlier damaged by an explosion, a source in the oil and gas market told Trend August 4.
The source said there was virtually no gas in the pipeline, because of the cessation of gas pumping via it since August 2 due to suspension of work at a platform on Azerbaijan's 'Shah Deniz' field for maintenance works.
Gas from the 'Shah Deniz' is delivered to Turkey.
The preliminary reports say the explosion occurred due to unknown reasons at the pipeline's section in Sarıkamıs region of Turkey's north-eastern province of Kars.
As the source said, the gas pipeline damaged in the explosion is operated by Turkey (Botas), and its security is the responsibility of Ankara.
From Baku up to Georgia's border with Turkey, BP is the pipeline's technical operator, and Azerbaijan's state oil company SOCAR is its commercial operator.
The Baku-Tbilisi-Erzurum gas pipeline, also called the South Caucasus Pipeline, is required to export Azerbaijan's gas from 'Shah Deniz'.
The pipeline starts at a terminal near Baku, going through Georgia, and ends in the Turkish city of Erzurum, where there is a gas distribution hub.
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