Azerbaijan plans output towards 60 mm tpy

June 5, 1998 Azerbaijan's oil output is expected to increase to an annual 50 to 60 mm tonnes within 7 years, from the current 9 mm, said Natik Aliyev, president of the State Oil Company.
He said that with these estimates, Azerbaijan needs an export pipeline to move the oil to international markets. Aliyev said there are 11 alternative export routes, of which most attractive are pipelines providing access to the Black and Mediterranean Seas, including Georgia-traversing Baku-Supsa route with a length of 850 km, a Russian 1,411-km route to link Baku with the Black Sea port of Novorossiisk and a project of a 2,000 km gas pipeline between Baku and Turkey's Ceyhan.
Aliyev said the export pipeline project is estimated to cost, depending on the chosen route, $ 1.5 to 3 bn.
Azerbaijan is also examining as alternatives routes to link it with the Mediterranean Sea through Turkey, Bulgaria and Greece bypassing the Bosporus in the event serious transit problems are seen in the Bosporus Strait, Aliyev said.
He said exporting the oil in a southern direction via Iran deemed economically attractive. However, experts see this option unlikely given the warnings of the US administration that the US would bar any major investment in projects involving Iran.
Aliyev said that with the high quality of Azerbaijan's oil, its exports to refineries of Ukraine, Romania, Bulgaria and other European countries are considered.
The pumping capacity of the future export pipeline is estimated at 50 mm tonnes per year.