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Minister: Ukraine ready to buy Azerbaijani liquefied gas

Oil&Gas Materials 5 November 2010 15:26 (UTC +04:00)

Kazakhstan, Astana, Nov. 5 / Trend A.Maratov /

Ukraine might join the Azerbaijan-Georgia-Romania Interconnector (AGRI) gas transportation project to supply Azerbaijani liquefied gas via Georgia and the Black Sea to Romania, Azerbaijani Industry and Energy Minister Natig Aliyev said in an interview with Trend today in Astana.

"Ukraine is interested in this project and the issue was mulled during Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev's recent visit to this country," Aliyev said. "Ukraine is ready to buy Azerbaijani liquefied gas. In particular, it is planned to construct a liquefied fuel terminal in Odessa. In the future, it will have a positive effect not only on Azerbaijan, but also on the entire region. I think there will be other sources for liquefied gas supplies through the Bosporus. That is, I believe that Ukraine will join this project."

He said the Azerbaijani-Georgian-Romanian joint venture under the AGRI project has already been established in Romania.

Independent experts are evaluating the project and its investments in an effort to develop a financing feasibility plan to determine its effectiveness, Aliyev said.

"Work is underway in this direction and I think this is a promising direction since this is the first terminal for liquefied gas on the Black Sea market," he added.

Three capacity volumes are being considered for the Agree project - 2 billion cubic meters of gas, 5 billion cubic meters and 8 billion cubic meters per year. According to preliminary data, the cost varies from 1.2 billion to 4.5 billion euro depending on capacity, he said earlier.

A memorandum of understanding on the AGRI project was signed in Bucharest on April 13. Azerbaijan, Georgia, Romania and Hungary signed the Baku Declaration on the draft AGRI on Sept. 14 in Baku.

The project to supply Azerbaijani liquefied natural gas to Romania envisages the construction of two terminals for liquefied natural gas - one in Georgia and the other in Romania. According to preliminary data, the project will cost 4.6 billion euro. The project envisages transporting Azerbaijani gas via pipelines to the Black Sea coast of Georgia, where the gas will be liquefied at a special terminal. The gas will then be delivered to a terminal at the Romanian port of Constanta via tankers.

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