Azerbaijan, Baku, Dec.15 / Trend E.Ismayilov /
Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline (BTC)
The BP-operated BTC pipeline is used for the transportation of the light oil produced from the Azeri-Chirag-Gunashli (ACG) fields.
The BTC pipeline pumps oil of not all the participants of the contract on the development of the Azerbaijani Azeri-Chirag-Guneshli. In particular ExxonMobil sends its supplies via other routes. Earlier Devon, which is the ACG project participant, also pumped its oil volumes via other routes, but didn't become a shareholder in the BTC. Last year, the company's share was sold to other participants in the project, including BP.
The total length of BТС is 1.768km, including the 443km section running via Azerbaijan, the 249km section via Georgia and the 1.076km via Turkey. The capacity of the pipeline is more than 50mln tons of oil per day (1mln barrel per day). Due to the chemical reagents, the capacity of the pipeline will be increased up to 1.2mln barrels per day.
The shareholders of BTC are BP (30.1%), AzBTC (25%), Chevron (8.90%), StatoilHydro (8.71%), TRAO (6.53%), Eni (5%), Total (5%), Itochu (3.40%), Inpex (2.50%), ConocoPhilips (2.50%) and Hess (2.36%).
Status of project
According to the State Statistics Committee, in Jan.-Nov. the transportation via Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan hit more than 35.3 mln tons of oil compared to 35.3 million tons in Jan.-Nov. 2010.
In July 2010, the pipeline started pumping the Turkmen oil. In Jan.-Nov. 2011 1.9 million tons of Turkmen oil was transported via the pipeline compared to 1.1 million tons in July-November 2010.
The oil is transported under contracts signed between the State Oil Company of Azerbaijan (SOCAR), Dragon Oil and other oil-producing companies in Turkmenistan. The contract between the parties was prolonged by late 2012.
The volume of oil pumping, accounting for SOCAR and pumped via the pipeline in Jan.-Nov. hits more than 21.3 million tons.
From October 2008 until late 2009 the BTC transported oil from Kazakhstan's Tengiz field. In October (2008) - November (2009) the BTC pipeline transported 1.7 million tons of Tengiz oil. However, due to lack of agreement on the size of tariff pumping of the Kazakh oil was suspended from early 2010.
Baku-Supsa pipeline (BS)
The total length of Baku-Supsa makes up 827km, its diameter 530mm. The capacity of the pipeline is up 6mln tons per year. The pipeline transfers Azeri Light, extracted on from the Azeri-Chirag-Guneshli offshore block headed by BP. BP is the pipeline's operator.
Status of project
According to BP, in January-October, the Baku-Supsa pipeline transported more than 3.2 mln tons of oil (24 million barrels). In Jan.-Nov., the oil pipeline transported about 2.49 million tons of oil.
Baku-Novorossiysk pipeline
SOCAR's oil is mainly transported via the Baku-Novorossiysk pipeline. It is extracted in the fields by the company, as well as stuff of joint enterprises and operational companies with foreign companies extracted over the onshore fields of the country.
SOCAR is the operator of the pipeline since early 2008, which obtained operator position from the Azerbaijan International Operating Company (headed by BP). The total length of the Baku- Novorossiysk pipeline composes 1,147km. The length of the pipeline in the territory of Azerbaijan is 231km, diameter of 720 millimeters. The pumping capacity is 120,000 tons per day.
Status of project
In Jan.-Nov., 2011, SOCAR transported over 1.83 million tons of oil via Baku-Novorossiysk pipeline compared to 2.07 million tons of oil in the same period of 2010. In total, SOCAR exported 2.24 million tons of oil in 2010 compared to about 2.5 million tons in 2009. In 2008 SOCAR transported 1.2 million tons via the pipeline.
Baku-Tbilisi-Erzurum gas pipeline (South Caucasian gas pipeline)
The length of the Baku - Tbilisi - Erzurum (South Caucasian gas pipeline) is more than 700km. The gas produced from the Shah Deniz field in the Azerbaijani sector of the Capian Sea is transported via the pipeline. The gas is supplied to Georgia and Turkey. Azerbaijan also appears as the buyer of gas
Status of project
According to the State Statistical Committee of Azerbaijan, in Jan- Nov 2011, the South Caucasian pipeline transferred 4.1 bln cu m of gas compared to 4.6 bln cu m of gas in Jan.-Nov. 2010. In 2010 the gas pipeline transported 4.9 billion cubic meters of gas. In 2009, the Baku-Tbilisi-Erzurum gas pipeline transported 5.2 billion cubic meters of gas compared to 4.7 billion cubic meters in 2008.At present some part of gas out of the total daily volume is supplied to Turkey, Georgia and to pumping plants of the Baku - Tbilisi - Ceyhan pipeline, other volume is transferred to Azerbaijan from the Sangachal terminal of BP company.
This year BP, technical operator of Shah Deniz has decided to build a second line of the pipeline in Azerbaijan and two compressor stations on the pipeline in Georgia. These operations will be conducted to ensure the transportation of gas from the second phase of the Shah Deniz project. The total volume of transportation through the pipeline will reach to 24 billion cubic meters a year.
Azerbaijan-Georgia pipeline
SOCAR supplies its own gas to Georgia via a pipeline linking the two countries in the Gazakh district of Azerbaijan. The pipeline's capacity is more than 2.5 billion cubic meters of gas per year.
In November 2008, Azerbaijan and Georgia signed an agreement that creates possibility of revitalization of SOCAR in the Georgian gas market over the next five years, beginning from 2009. According to the memorandum, SOCAR has established a subsidiary company SOCAR Georgia Gas, which provides consumers (social group) that the Georgian government defined with gas, to implement the project.
In late December 2008, SOCAR and Georgia signed an agreement to transfer the management of 30 gas distributing farms and the distribution of gas distribution networks covering those regions of Georgia as Kakheti, Mtskheta-Mtianeti, Shida and Kvemo Kartli, Adjara, Guria, Imereti and Samegrelo. These networks are commissioned by 24 companies. In April 2009, SOCAR has received gas distribution network of the Georgian district of Marneuli mainly populated by Azerbaijanis.
Status of project
SOCAR will export about 700 million cubic meters of gas to Georgia by late 2011. In 2010 SOCAR exported 339.16 million cubic meters of gas to Georgia.
Azerbaijan-Iran pipeline
Azerbaijan and Iran are connected with the Astara-Bind-Biand gas pipeline length 1,474.5 kilometers, including 296.5 kilometers in the territory of Azerbaijan. Its design capacity was 10 billion cubic meters a year, now it is lower. This route is a branch of the Gazakh-Astara-Iran pipeline commissioned in 1971. Three compressor stations, including in Gazi-Magomed, Aghdash and Gazakh, were built on its route. The transmission system is designed to pressure 55 atmospheres. The pipe's diameter is 1,200 mm.
Status of project
Today, the pipeline supplies about 1.2 million cubic meters of gas, which is transported to Iran through swap operations to meet the needs of the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic of Azerbaijan.
By late 2011 SOCAR will supply 320 million cubic meters of gas to Iran. In 2010, Iran received about 329 million cubic meters of gas under the swap operations.
Commercial supply of Azerbaijani gas is not carried out. But Iran has repeatedly stated its intention to purchase about five billion cubic meters of gas per year from Azerbaijan.
Azerbaijan-Russia gas pipeline
The Mozdok-Kazi-Magomed Pipeline has capacity of 5 million cu m of gas per year. Until 2007, Azerbaijan imported 4.5 billion cubic meters of gas. In 2008, Azerbaijan refused to import gas and from January 2010 started export of fuel via the Mozdok-Kazi-Magomed gas pipeline.
Status of project
As of Oct.24, SOCAR exported to Russia more than 1.5 billion cubic meters of gas to Russia within a medium-term contract with Gazprom. In 2011, it is planned to supply 2 billion cubic meters of Azerbaijani gas to Russia, which corresponds to the project.
In 2010 SOCAR exported about 800 million cubic meters of gas to Russia.
The medium-term contract (with the possibility of extension) was signed in Baku Oct. 14, 2009. According to the addition to the contract signed in early September 2010 in Baku, in 2011, Gazprom will receive two billion cubic meters, in 2012 - over two billion cubic meters.