Azerbaijan, Baku, July 9 / Trend S. Suleymanov /
Kazakhstan is true to the diversification policy, monitors the development of the construction project of Samsun-Ceyhan oil pipeline, a source in the Ministry of Oil and Gas told Trend.
"Yes, we always showed and will show interest in any of the routes of transportation in view of their commercial attractiveness following our multi-vector policy. That is why we monitor the construction of the oil pipeline Samsun - Ceyhan, a source said.
As it is known, Kazakhstan participated in the drafting of the construction project of a refinery in the Turkish port of Ceyhan together with the Italian Eni, the Indian Oil India, as well as the Turkish Calik Enerji.
"The planned refinery in Ceyhan can receive oil from three oil pipelines, including Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline, Kirkuk-Ceyhan and Samsun-Ceyhan pipeline in future. Eventually, they were to bring up to 170 million tons of oil to this port. Samsun - Ceyhan oil pipeline was originally designed by the Italian concern Eni", the source said.
"But as we know, the Kazakh company suspended the work on a draft of oil refinery in Ceyhan primarily for financial reason 2-3 years ago.
It focused its strength and interest for the modernization of its three domestic refineries. Logically, all negotiations on the pipeline Samsun-Ceyhan pipeline were also stopped", the source said.
He recalled that in August last year, Prime Ministers of Turkey and Russia, Vladimir Putin and Recep Tayyip Erdogan after talks in Ankara signed a protocol on cooperation in the oil sector. It dealt with the plans to realize construction projects of refineries in Ceyhan and oil pipeline Samsun - Ceyhan, in particular, to establish a joint working group on the resource base and transport parameters.
"In fact, Kazakhstan showed interest in these projects in Ceyhan given future large Kashagan oil. But so far, as we know, the deadline for getting the first oil was delayed for 2013. Moreover, we must first focus on other routes of oil delivery to Ceyhan. This is a system of CCST. So while we can only track the progress of the situation on the Samsun - Ceyhan, the source added.
It is known that the construction of the oil pipeline Samsun - Ceyhan will relieve the load from the Black Sea straits. About 110 million tons of oil per year is transported through them.
"We welcome that the Turkish government decided to intensify work on the project "Samsun - Ceyhan" oil pipeline to reduce the load given the sad experience of the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. The more pipelines - the more variants for maneuver, " representative of the Ministry of Oil and Gas said.
It should be noted that the project of the oil pipeline Samsun - Ceyhan was realized in 2007. It is scheduled to give the project, which will transport oil to markets in Europe, in 2011.
It is known that the working group studying the resource base for the oil pipeline Samsun - Ceyhan includes representatives from Transneft, Rosneft, Gazprom Neft, as well as representatives of Turkish and Italian companies. The Working Group must determine economic parameters, calculate the volume of oil transportation, analyze the sources of oil resources.