Kazakhstan, Astana, April 25 / Trend, D. Mukhtarov /
It can be expected there will be positive movement in the negotiations over the transit of Tengiz oil via the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) oil pipeline, one of foreign experts in Astana, who wished to remain anonymous, told Trend on Wednesday.
"In the near future there is likely to be positive changes in the negotiations between the Chevron Oil Company and the Baku - Tbilisi - Ceyhan oil pipeline shareholders on the transit of Tengiz oil. As the oil production picture changes in the Caspian Sea these should be taken into account by both the pipeline shareholders and oil companies," the expert said during the Russian and Caspian Energy Roundtable in Astana on Wednesday.
He said BTC shareholders often talk about their openness to oil suppliers, but nevertheless, one cannot ignore the fact that 2.5 million tons of Tengiz oil passes through Batumi via the rail network rather than BTC.
"One should expect changes in the tone of the negotiations on the Tengiz oil transit, as only it can make a condition to reduce the rate for transit," he said.
According to the expert, the main problem in suspending Tengiz oil transit via the BTC is that Tengizchevroil (TCO) is not satisfied with the terms offered by the BTC shareholders.