Baku, Azerbaijan, Feb.13
By Anakhanim Hidayatova- Trend:
The SOCAR company (State Oil Company of Azerbaijan) is in talks with the Georgian government on the issue of participation in the project of creation of gas storage facility of 250 million cubic meters in this country, the Georgian Energy Minister Kakha Kaladze said in an interview with Trend.
He said that today Georgia receives 65 percent of all the gas consumed in the country from Azerbaijan. In addition, the SOCAR company implements social projects in Tbilisi and in all regions of the country.
"Until 2017, we intend to complete the joint work in order to bring the level of gasification of Georgia to 80-85 percent," said Kaladze. "The SOCAR company supplies gas to Georgia at a special price, and we are all well aware how important it is."
Commenting on Georgia's plans for the construction of an oil refinery, the minister said that this issue is currently under consideration.
"It is not known whether we will build a refinery or not," he said. "Now there is a downward trend in oil prices. We will be considering this issue (about the construction of the refinery) in the future, we have time."
It was reported earlier with reference to the First Deputy Economy Minister of Georgia Dimitry Kumsishvili that the Georgian government announced a survey of interests for the construction of the refinery on the island Nabadi in Poti.
The deputy minister said that the new refinery should have capacity of processing crude oil of at least 2 million metric tons per year, and the first products should be produced at the refinery in early 2019.
Edited by CN