Kazakhstan Eyes Resumption of Oil Transit via Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan Pipeline
Kazakhstan is in talks to restart oil transit through the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline, affected by tainted Azerbaijani oil issues. The disruption, involving organic chloride contamination, caused significant delays and price impacts. Kazakhstan seeks to maintain European oil supplies despite geopolitical tensions and aims to minimize reliance on Russian routes.
Kazakhstan is negotiating to resume oil transit through the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) pipeline, as confirmed by the country's energy ministry. The pipeline has faced disruption due to contaminated Azerbaijani oil, according to reports from TASS, the Russian state news agency.
This marks the first acknowledgment by Kazakhstan of issues affecting BTC oil exports since industry sources indicated suspended supplies due to organic chloride contamination in August. The contamination had already pushed price differentials to a four-year low, delaying loadings.
Despite the suspension, Azeri BTC loadings remained below planned levels in July. Kazakh Energy Minister Yerlan Akkenzhenov stated that talks with KazMunaiGas are ongoing to restart the route, highlighting Kazakhstan's effort to diversify exports and reduce dependency on Russian paths.
(With inputs from agencies.)
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