BAKU, Azerbaijan, November 25. Kazakhstan is exploring the possibility of oil supply growth through the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) pipeline from the current 1.5 million tons to 20 million tons, the country's Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Almassadam Satkaliyev said during a meeting in the local parliament today, TurkicWorld reports.
"The BTC route is currently one of the promising directions. Both we and our Azerbaijani partners are interested in developing and systematically increasing the volume of Kazakh oil supplies in this direction.
For 2024, the supply of Kazakh oil through BTC is planned at 1.5 million tons. We are exploring the potential for increasing shipments along this route to up to 20 million tons per year," he explained.
According to the minister, with the growth of oil production and the introduction of new offshore projects, in the medium term, the ministry, together with KazMunayGas company and other stakeholders, is working on developing additional transportation routes, including those along the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route.
To note, Kazakhstan, aiming to diversify its oil export routes, began shipments through BTC last year.
The State Oil Company of Azerbaijan (SOCAR) and KazMunayGas signed an agreement to transport 1.5 million tons of Kazakh oil annually through this route. Its exports were launched in April 2023.
