Oil & Gas News

President hosts BTC progress meeting
The Azerbaijani Presidential Administration has reported that a meeting was held at the President's Office on Wednesday to discuss issues relating to implementation of the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan main oil export pipeline project.
President Heydar Aliyev gave a detailed speech on the project's progress and future plans.
Also speaking at the meeting were AIOC president David Woodward, president of the Georgian International Oil Corporation Georgi Chanturia and the Turkish ambassador to Azerbaijan Ahmed Unal Chevikoz.
The meeting was also attended by Prime Minister Artur Rasizada, government advisor Vahid Axundov, Minister for Fuel and Energy Macid Karimov, SOCAR president Natiq Aliyev, Georgian ambassador to Azerbaijan Zurab Qumbaridze and other officials.

Crude exports down
Exports of Azerbaijani crude-oil via the Baku-Supsa pipeline totaled 480,000 tons in January 2003, down, by 22,700 tons or 4.5 %, year-on-year, the Azerbaijan International Operating Company (AIOC) told AssA-Irada.
Azerbaijan exported 416,000 tons through the pipeline in December.
Pipeline operation began on April 9, 1999. with all the crude being produced in the Azari-Ciraq Gunasli field.

SOCAR social enterprises to be privatized
Thus far, 33 of 68 SOCAR enterprises have been transformed into stock-holding societies. A certain part of the shares of 27 enterprises have already been sold by auction.
The Ministry of Economic Development has informed AssA-Irada that it is currently in charge of privatization of mainly social and construction facilities of SOCAR. The privatization started in 2001 in accordance with a presidential decree.

Spie Capag/Petrofac to award contract to Azarkorpu
The Spie Capag/Petrofac Alliance is keen on signing a contract with local Azarkorpu Company to install temporary facilities, prepare land for construction works along the Georgian section of the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan Main Export Pipeline.
Azarkorpu specializes in construction of bridges and roads, installation of hydraulic structures, civil engineering and road infrastructure.
Earlier, Azarkorpu had successfully completed road laying and concreting works for Tekfen-Azfen upon expansion of the Sangacal terminal.

AIOC increases oil output 
The Azerbaijan International Operating Company (AIOC) produced 556,600 tons of oil at Azerbaijan's Ciraq-1 offshore field in January, 12.1 per cent more than in the same month of last year.
The company told AssA-Irada that it produced 133,000 barrels per day. It exported 480,000 tons along the Baku-Supsa pipeline, 22,700 tons less than a year ago.
This year as a whole, the AIOC plans to produce 6.45m tons of oil, compared with 6.387m tons in 2002. AIOC has produced 25.05m tons of oil at Ciraq since it began operations on November 7, 1997.
The company has drilled 17 wells, 14 of them production wells and the other three water-injection wells. It is currently drilling an 18th, which will be a production well.