Georgia, Tbilisi, Feb.27/ Trend, N.Kirtskhalia /
The Finance and Economy Ministry of Adjara handed the gas pipelines built in the Adjaran villages of Bobokvati, Khutsubani, Kveda, Sameba and Ochkhamuri over to the management of the SOCAR Georgia Gas Company as part of the programme of assisting the villages, the ministry said.
The company will operate the system for 49 years and was instructed to commission the gas pipeline within six months.
The ministry states that if the gas pipeline had not been transferred its operation would be impossible.
In addition to the gas pipeline in Kobuleti, the company also transferred an 11-kilometre long highway in the Khelvachauri municipality. SOCAR Georgia Gas should fulfil its obligations to the state before spring 2013.
In 2009-2011, SOCAR Georgia Gas built an 1281 kilometre gas pipeline reaching 74,398 subscribers in Georgia.
Azerbaijan and Georgia signed an agreement in November 2008 that created an opportunity to revitalise SOCAR in the Georgian gas market over the next five years, beginning in 2009. According to the memorandum, SOCAR has created a subsidiary company SOCAR Georgia Gas for the project which provides gas to customers defined by the Government of Georgia.
SOCAR and the Georgian government signed an agreement at the end of December 2008 on the transfer of 30 gas distribution farms and distribution networks control covering various regions of Georgia.