Baku, Azerbaijan, March 4
By Emil Ismayilov- Trend:
SOCAR (State Oil Company of Azerbaijan) is studying all possible options for the construction of automatic mini-filling stations in Baku under the brand name of SOCAR, a source at SOCAR told Trend on March 4.
The matter is the construction of seven to eight automatic mini-stations in the capital.
There is no concrete project yet. At present time, the work on the search of the most optimum construction practices of mini - gas stations is being conducted, according to the source.
"At this stage, work is underway on the determination of the location of new stations, the options of their creation and purchase of the necessary equipment for the stations is being studied. We will carry out the construction of mini - stations for the first time and therefore we study all the options. Commencement of the construction is planned for 2014," the source noted.
Furthermore, negotiations are held with the Italian manufacturers of equipment, according to the source.
Construction of mini-filling stations has a number of advantages. Particularly, they are constructed on smaller parcels of land that reduces cost of construction and installation compared to the traditional gas stations They allow release of fuel without an operator, and the process of refueling and payment are implemented automatically, which ultimately leads to an increase in the number motor vehicles that can be filled, the source said.
At the present time, 16 SOCAR gas stations operate in Azerbaijan, two of them located in the north of the country and the remaining ones in Baku.
SOCAR is the only producer of oil products in Azerbaijan with two refineries on its balance sheet. It also owns petrol stations in Azerbaijan, Georgia, Ukraine, Romania and Switzerland.
Translated by S.I.
Edited by C.N.