SOCAR (State Oil Company of Azerbaijan) is about to increase loading of the oil refinery plants in the first quarter of 2007 up to 160.000 tons per month., a source in SOCAR told Trend.
According to the source in SOCAR, the increase in the oil load of Heydar Aliyev refinery and Azerneftyag will occur due to the increase of piping the crude of AIOC (Azerbaijan International Operating Company) via the Baku-Novorossiysk and reducing SOCAR share in shipping the oil in Novorossiysk in the first quarter of 2007.
In October, 2006, Azerbaijan refineries refined 552,62 thousand tons of oil, 382,16 thousand tons out of the total number by Heydar Aliyev Refinery, and 170,46 thousand tons by Azerneftyag.
The total volume of the oil refining in the Azerbaijani refinery plants in January-October, 2006 made up 6 mln. 200,77 thousand tons which is by 2,9% (175,16 thousand tons) more versus the corresponding period of the last year.
3 mln.478,11 thousand tons of the volume of the oil refined fall at Heydar Aliyev Refinery and 2 mln. 722,66 thousand tons at Azneftyag. At the same time, Heydar Aliyev refinery increased by 256,34 thousand tons versus the corresponding period of the last year, and Azerbeftyag on contrary, decreased by 81,18 thousand tons.