Azerbaijan, Baku, October 10 / Trend /
Subsidiary of SOCAR (State Oil Company of Azerbaijan) - SOCAR Georgia Gas - put into operation a gas distribution network in the Georgian region of Dusheti, the company reported.
The opening ceremony of the gas distribution network was attended by President of Georgia Mikhail Saakashvili.
On Dec. 26, SOCAR and the Georgian Government signed an agreement to operate 30 gas supply grids and gas distribution networks in the Kakheti, Mtskheta-Mtianeti, Shida and Kvemo Kartli, Ajaria, Guria, Imereti, Samegrelo regions of Georgia. These networks are operated by 24 companies.
In April, SOCAR Energy Georgia acquired a gas distribution network in the Marneuli region populated by Azerbaijani community. Marneuli has 31 gas supply grids operated by SOCAR Georgia.
The investment envisaged for the first year of the three-year program on gasification of 31 gas situations in Georgia, which are in use of SOCAR Georgia Gas (a subsidiary of SOCAR Energy Georgia) totals 48 million lari (over $28.6 million)."These funds will be spent on constructing gas distribution networks, with a total length of up to 800 kilometers for 57,000 new potential customers," the same source said.
Earlier, Head of SOCAR Georgia Gas Anar Mammadov said demand of the gas filling stations of the company is about 80-90 million cubic meters per year. The company plans to increase number of subscribers from 60,000 to 150,000 in total, Mammadov said earlier.