„The Azerbaijani side's position on the use of the oil pipeline is critical, and we are having an extensive discussion here, as this pipeline has been working for Azerbaijani oil since the spring of 1999. The transit of Kazakhstan's oil through it is currently being discussed, and the oil is of a different type. I believe the major obstacles will be resolved, and we hope to begin pumping this stuff (Kazakhstan's oil) this year. Looking ahead, we believe we will be able to handle more than one million tons of oil each year. I hope that oil transportation begins this year“, Georgian Economy Minister Levan Davitashvili said.
Georgian Economy Minister Levan Davitashvili hopes that oil transportation through the Baku-Supsa pipeline will resume in 2024 after regular pumping was suspended in spring 2022, Trend reports referring to Georgian media.
„The Azerbaijani side's position on the use of the oil pipeline is critical, and we are having an extensive discussion here, as this pipeline has been working for Azerbaijani oil since the spring of 1999. The transit of Kazakhstan's oil through it is currently being discussed, and the oil is of a different type. I believe the major obstacles will be resolved, and we hope to begin pumping this stuff (Kazakhstan's oil) this year. Looking ahead, we believe we will be able to handle more than one million tons of oil each year. I hope that oil transportation begins this year“, Georgian Economy Minister Levan Davitashvili said.
A source in the Ministry of Energy of Azerbaijan confirmed to Trend the possibility of pumping Kazakhstan's oil through this pipeline starting in 2024.
Meanwhile, Baku-Supsa can pump up to five million tons of oil per year.
This pipeline has been used to transport oil from Azerbaijan's Caspian Chirag field since the spring of 1999, but in the spring of 2022, due to problems with oil shipment in the Black Sea (tankers reduced their calls to this sea due to the military actions of Russia and Ukraine), it was decided to transfer all Azerbaijani oil to the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline. The Baku-Supsa pipeline has been virtually idle since then and has been offered to Kazakhstan for operation.