Azerbaijan International Operating Company (AIOC) is planning to stop exporting Azeri Light oil produced at Azeri-Chirag-Guneshli field by railroad to Georgian port Batumi.
SOCAR officials told Trend oil export to Batumi stopping is linked to BTC pipeline commissioning.
В"In its time, AIOC was obliged to transport oil by reload to Batumi due to production increase at ACG and lack of pipelinesВ", SOCAR officials said.
By September, BTC Co is completing operations at BTC pipeline, thus enabling pumping the oil previously exported from Batumi. This year a bit more than 430k ton of Azeri Light oil has been exported from Batumi a month.
Thus, starting September only ExxonMobil will be receiving ACG oil in Batumi. ExxonMobil and Devon, both ACG project stakeholders, earlier decided not to partake in BTC project.
AIOC oil delivery to port Batumi breakdown by months from the beginning of 2006 looks as follows:
- January 354k ton;
- February 438k ton;
- March 524k ton;
- April 524k ton;
May 497k ton;
- June 266k ton.
Total: 2.603mln ton.