Azerbaijan, Baku / Trend corr S. Aliyev / The Decision to extend the carrying capacity of the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) pipeline from 1mln to 1.2mln barrels per 24 hours will be resolved by the end of this year, a high-ranking representative of the ВТС pipeline company said.
Direct application of inhibitors (chemical reagents), which will enable the carrying capacity of the pipeline to be expanded, will be possible next year, he said.
Application of chemical reagents in the BTC requires additional equipment through which they will be pumped. The cost of the extension will come to approximately $100mln.
Since April 2007, oil pumping from the Azeri-Chirag-Gunashli bloc of fields to the world markets has been carried out mainly via the BTC. ВР, the operator of the pipeline, intends to achieve a transportation capacity of 1mln barrels of oil per 24 hours (approx 50mln t per year) at the end of 2008. Afterwards, the company intends to extend the carrying capacity by 1.6mln barrels of oil per 24 hours.