the CBT (Ceyhan-Baku-Tblisi) pipeline this week a bit ahead of schedule. There is much jockeying for the various spoils along the way and this may be a reason why Iran and Azerbaijan are putting together deals?
British energy giant BP starts filling BTC pipeline
10/05/2005 20:28
LONDON, May 10 (AFP) - British energy giant BP said Tuesday it began filling up the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) pipeline ahead of the project's completion later this year.
"It will take over six months to fill the whole pipeline," a BP spokesman said.
The BTC pipeline is planned to transport oil from Caspian Sea production sources in Azerbaijan through Georgia to the port of Ceyhan in Turkey -- bypassing Russia -- for subsequent export to western markets.
Up to 10 million barrels of crude oil is needed to fill the 1,770-kilometre (1,094-mile) pipeline which runs from the Sangachal terminal, near Baku.
The oil comes from the Azeri-Chirag-Gunashli field in part of the Caspian Sea belonging to Azerbaijan.
The first tanker is scheduled to be loaded up with crude at Ceyhan during the first quarter of 2005, BP added.
The pipeline cost around 3.0 billion dollars (2.33 billion euros) to build and when operational it will pump up to one million barrels of oil a day.
The BTC pipeline was built with financial support from the United States, while BP holds a 30-percent stake in the consortium running it.
Other consortium members include Azerbaijan's state oil company SOCAR, Amerada Hess, ConocoPhillips, Eni, Inpex, Itochu, Statoil, TPAO and Unocal.
http://www.bakutoday.net/view.php?d=13371