Chief executive officer of the Norwegian company Statoil, Helge Lund, will arrive in Baku on 1 May to get familiar with the situation in the oil industry of Azerbaijan, Steinar Gil, the Norwegian Ambassador to Azerbaijan, told journalists on 29 April.
Statoil tales an active part in different projects, including the implementation of the project on the construction of the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC), the noted.
During the visit to last by 3 May Lund will hold meetings with the Azerbaijani Minister for Energy and Industry, Natik Aliyev, and the President of the State Oil Company of Azerbaijan, Rovnag Abdullayev. It is planned to hold a meeting with Ilham Aliyev, he underscored.
Thus, in 2005 the investments into the economy of Azerbaijan were $488.9 million, in 2004 $570 million, in 2003 the companys investments were $474 million, in 2002 $174 million.
The Norwegian company is involved in three large projects: Рђzeri-Chirag-Guneshli (ACG), (8,5633%), Shah-Deniz (25,5%), Рђraz-Рђlov-Sharg (15%). This spring loading of the first tanker with the oil from ACG is expected from the Turkish port of Ceyhan, delivered through the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) pipeline. The first gas supplies to the markets of Azerbaijan, Turkey and Georgia are expected in autumn 2006. The gas will be delivered through the South-Caucasus gas pipeline (SCP). Statoil is also the commercial operator on sale of gas from Shah-Deniz. The Araz-Alov-Sharg is temporarily frozen due to some territorial discords between Azerbaijan and Iran.