Kazakhstan says may resume BTC oil exports
Kazakhstan does not rule out oil exports via the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline, Kazakh Oil and Gas Minister Sauat Mynbayev said at the Kazenergy forum in Astana.
"Perhaps, Kazakh oil will be supplied via the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline, but on reasonable commercial terms," Mynbayev said.
The 1,768 km BTC pipeline transports oil produced from Azerbaijan's major Azeri-Chirag-Gunashli (ACG) fields in the Caspian Sea.
Shareholders of BTC Co., owner of the pipeline, include: BP (30.1% - operator), SOCAR (25%), Chevron (8.9%), Statoil Hydro (8.71%), TPAO (6.53%), ENI (5%), Total (5%), Itochu (3.40%), Inpex (2.5%), ConocoPhillips (2.5%) and Amerada Hess (2.36%).
The minister said that at present, Kazakhstan is considering different options of exporting its oil.
"While determining the areas of export and use of pipeline systems, Kazakhstan will adhere to the following principles: the oil will be supplied to the areas with commercially favorable terms," Mynbayev said.
Mynbayev said that the main export destinations of Kazakh oil are the EU and China. Thus, Kazakhstan plans to export 29 million tons of its oil via the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC) in 2012. The volumes of pumping Kazakh oil via the pipeline are to increase to 52 million tons after expansion.
Kazakhstan plans to export 11 million tons of oil via the Kazakhstan-China pipeline in 2012, and there is a possibility to boost the volume to 20 million tons in the future.
"Relevant agreements on the expansion have been signed," he said. "It will be easy technologically to enforce them."
Around 15 million tons of Kazakh oil will be supplied via the Atyrau-Samara pipeline in 2012.
"We do not plan to expand this pipeline," Mynbayev said.
Moreover, Kazakhstan plans to transport 8 million tons of oil through the port of Aktau in 2012. Some oil will be supplied through Makhachkala and another part -- through the Black Sea ports of Batumi and Kulevi.