Weekly review of Azerbaijan's oil and gas sector

By Trend

A report was released by bp this week that the volume of oil transportation through the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) pipeline reached 500 million tons, Trend reports.

The milestone was achieved on December 12 when the 500 millionth tons of Caspian crude was loaded on the 4922-nd tanker named Nordorse and departed for Trieste (Italy).

Besides, this week it was reported that according to the forecast of the International Energy Agency (IEA), in 2021 oil production in Azerbaijan will amount to 700,000 barrels.

According to another report of the outgoing week, the Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) consortium is finalizing the studies on the possibility of transporting hydrogen via the system. In all three host countries, TAP is in contact with producers of green hydrogen, looking for potential opportunities to host a mixture of natural gas and hydrogen in the pipeline.

According to the consortium, TAP pipeline’s expansion capacity is offered to the market through regular market tests. The market test is the regulated process through which shippers can get access to new, long-term capacity in TAP. TAP’s capacity can be expanded up to 20 bcm/a.

The capacity of the pipeline can be increased in stages; for instance: limited expansion (approx. 14.4 bcm/a), partial expansion (approx. 17.1 bcm/a) or full expansion (approx. 20 bcm/a).

This week it was also reported that the first parts of a bridge were installed near the Oil Rocks field [in Azerbaijani sector of the Caspian Sea] in 2021, which will connect it to the new Absheron platform. This year, a submarine cable was laid between the wellhead equipment of the Absheron field at a depth of 450 meters and a new platform of the same name near Oil Rocks. The subsea cable, made up of electrical wires and hydraulic hoses, is an important link between the field and the platform.