Meanwhile oil industry workers prepare new projects in ecology sphere

A. Korotkov (zerkalo)

The Ministry of Industry and Energy of Azerbaijan completed preparation of fuel and energy balance of the country for 2010, the source in oil and gas branch of Azerbaijan informed. . According to the forecast for 2010, Azerbaijan is supposed to produce 52, 450 million tons of oil. The main volume of extraction will be mainly done by the Azerbaijan international operational company which is carrying out oil production on the block of "Azeri-Chirag-Guneshli" field.
The gas production volume in Azerbaijan is predicted at level of 28,5 billion cubic meters. indicators of gas production of the SOCAR are included in this volume on own fields, production volume on gas condensate "Shahdeniz" field by a consortium of the foreign companies, and also volume of extraction of associated gas on the block of "Azeri-Chirag-Guneshli" field which most part is pumped in a layer for pressure maintenance.
The participants of the project on development of "Azeri-Chirag-Guneshli" field are BP (the operator - 34,1367 % share), ChevronTexaco (10,2814 %), SOCAR (10 %), INPEX (10 %), Statoil (8,5633 %), ExxonMobil (8,006 %), TPAO (6,75 %), Devon Energy (5,6262 %), Itochu (3,9205 %), and Delta Hess (2,7213 %). Volume of necessary capital investments is more than 20 billion dollars.

Marketing and Economic Operations Department (MEOD) of SOCAR (State Oil Company of Azerbaijan) transported about 24.6 million tons of oil through the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) in 2009 compared to 20.47 million tons in 2008, the department reported, informs Trend.

Today Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and his Turkmen Counterpart Gurbangulu Berdimuhammedov participated in the opening ceremony of the Turkmenistan-Iran pipeline's second branch length 30 kilometers. The presidents accompanied with governmental delegations and the diplomatic corps came to one of the largest deposits in the country - Dovletabat (in the Mariy region), informs Trend.
In their welcoming speech, the leaders noted that the project has historical significance and will contribute to the diversification of energy supply routes and energy security.

Energy-rich Turkmenistan firmly realizes the policy of diversifying its gas supply routes, thus reducing the chances of contenders which do not have an access to it. Firstly Europe must be understand amongst the contenders, which sees the country as a potential gas supplier for its priority Nabucco project designed to transport natural gas from the Caspian region and the Middle East to the EU countries.

The feasibility study of the State Oil Company of the Azerbaijan Republic's (SOCAR) ORP oil refinery near the large Petkim Turkish petrochemical complex is under completion, SOCAR Turkey Office head Seymur Agayev told Trend Capital.
"Work on the conceptual part of the feasibility study has been completed," he said that presently, the project (feasibility study) is under evaluation. The process should be completed by late January, Agayev said, informs Trend.
According to him, the company already submitted all necessary documents on the project, particularly, environmental report, as well as technical data, to Turkey's energy regulating body.

As experts consider it has led to recession of oil refining in the country

J. Jalilov (Echo)

Annual reduction of oil refining is observed for the last years in Azerbaijan. Following the results of the last year, oil refining in Azerbaijan was reduced to 18 %. According to the official data of the State Oil Company of the Azerbaijan Republic (SOCAR), 6,032 million tons of crude oil was processed in the country for January-December of the last year. While in a year before last the similar indicator made 7,347 million tons. Thus, according to data of SOCAR, 7,504 million tons of oil was processed in 2007 by the state company.
As the chairman of the Economic Research Center Gubad Ibadoghlu noted "Echo", with the beginning of financial crisis SOCAR carried out the wrong price policy.

AZERI-CHIRAG-GUNASHLI (ACG)
The Azeri-Chirag-Gunashli PSA was signed in September 1994. The agreement provides for the development of the contract area within 30 years. Production in the Chirag field commenced in 1997, on Central Azeri at the beginning of 2005, West Azeri at the beginning of 2006, East Azeri at the end of 2006, deepwater Gunashli in spring 2008.
ACG participating interests are: BP (operator - 34.1 percent), Chevron (10.2 percent), SOCAR (10 percent), INPEX (10 percent), StatoilHydro (8.6 percent), ExxonMobil (8 percent), TPAO (6.8 percent), Devon (5.6 percent), ITOCHU (3.9 percent), and Delta Hess (2.7 percent).

AZERI-CHIRAG-GUNASHLI (ACG)
The Azeri-Chirag-Gunashli PSA was signed in September 1994. The agreement provides for the development of the contract area within 30 years. Production in the Chirag field commenced in 1997, on Central Azeri at the beginning of 2005, West Azeri at the beginning of 2006, East Azeri at the end of 2006, deepwater Gunashli in spring 2008.
ACG participating interests are: BP (operator - 34.1 percent), Chevron (10.2 percent), SOCAR (10 percent), INPEX (10 percent), StatoilHydro (8.6 percent), ExxonMobil (8 percent), TPAO (6.8 percent), Devon (5.6 percent), ITOCHU (3.9 percent), and Delta Hess (2.7 percent).
The required investment is about $20 billion.

The main geo-strategic challenges at the top of the European agenda, mainly key businesses in the field of security and energy security was discussed at the Nabucco & South Stream: new prospects for European energy security forum organized by the Swiss international organization Crans Montana Forum in Vienna Dec.10-12. Trend News agency was the media partner of the event. The Caspian Investment Centre was the co-partner.

The average annual operating efficiency of the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipleine (BTC) for 2009 is 98.4 percent, Botas International Limited (BIL) said in a statement posted on its Web site. The Turkish state pipeline company Botas set up the BIL for cooperation with foreign companies. In 2001 the company was reorganized to exploit the BTC pipeline, informs Trend.
The pipeline's effectiveness does not fall below 97 percent from last year. In November the index of the BTC's effectiveness was 99.3 percent, the company reported.
BIL started shipping oil from the Ceyhan terminal on June 2, 2006. Since then the company has shipped 997 tankers with 789 million barrels, the company said.