Caspian Energy Investor ¹ 01 (234)     16 January 2007


ACCENT


  • AZERBAIJAN AND RUSSIA REGULATE ENERGY COOPERATION


    • Azerbaijan and Russia have regulated their energy cooperation. By enhancing the gas price for Azerbaijan and bringing it to the world level ($235 per 1,000 m3), actually Russia deprived itself of SOCAR’s export through the northern pipeline. SOCAR redirected its export flows to oil refineries so as to get cheaper fuel oil for its energy generating facilities. At the same time Azerbaijan commenced gas production from Shah Deniz field and gas export to Georgia.

  • RUSSIA AND BELARUS MEET HALF-WAY

    •
    RUSSIAN OIL EXPORTED TO THE WEST

    The talks between the Premiers of Russia and Belarus, which lasted two days, are over. As a result, the negotiators reached understanding on all key aspects of the energy cooperation. President of Russia Vladimir Putin said Russia’s support for Belarus in the energy field in 2007 would make up $5.8 billion. According to RF President, gas support approximately makes $3.3 billion, whereas oil and oil products support $2.5 billion. Putin says such sum “is a fee for the allied transition to the market relations with brotherly Belarus nation”.

    President of the European Commission Jose Manuel Barroso and Chancellor of Germany Angela Merkel stated about inadmissibility to cease energy carriers’ supply to Europe without consultancies. “Such actions usually ruin trust, whereas it is impossible to build good relations without trust”, Barroso said upon completion of talks with Merkel.

    EXCLUSIVE


  • RESULTS OF 2006 ENABLE TO VIEW ICT DEVELOPMENT PROCESS IN AZERBAIJAN WITH OPTIMISM - ELMIR VELIZADEH

    •
    “Purposeful and complex activity of government agencies, assistance provided by local and international business-structures and their interaction enable to ensure priority development of the IT sector. The innovative policy of the state, measures on ICT business expansion and elaboration of mechanisms so as to stimulate manufacture and export of products might be viewed as a part of arrangements for achieving this target.”, Head of the Information Resources & Technologies Department of the President’s Executive Office of the Republic of Azerbaijan Elmar Velizadeh said in the exclusive interview to Caspian Energy Investor.

    CASPIAN REGION


  • Kazakhstan


  • NEW GOVERNMENT FORMED IN KAZAKHSTAN


    • The new government has been formed in Kazakhstan, the press service of the President of Kazakhstan reported to Caspian Energy Investor.

  • Turkmenistan

    •

  • Russia

    •

    CASPIAN ECOLOGY


  • CITES APPROVED QUOTAS FOR CAVIAR EXPORT FROM LITTORAL STATES

    •
    Secretariat of UN Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) announced the quotas for exports of caviar and other sturgeon production from Caspian states.

    GAS



    MEP


  • AZERBAIJAN RAMPS UP OIL EXPORT THROUGH BTC

    •
    In 2006 Azerbaijan exported 7,671,329 tonnes of oil through the Heydar Aliyev Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline.

    TRANSPORTATION


  • Baku-Akhalkalaki-Kars


  • TWO DOCUMENTS ABOUT BAKU-AKHALKALAKI-KARS RAILROAD’S CONSTRUCTION SIGNED


    • On January 12-13, Tbilisi, the members of the Azerbaijan delegation headed by Minister of Transport of Azerbaijan Ziya Mammadov and Minister of Economic Development of Georgia Georgiy Arveladze discussed the technical and economic issues regarding construction of the Baku-Akhalkalaki-Kars railway and signed two documents.

  • Odessa-Brody

    •

  • Caspian ports




    • ECONOMY


  • NEW TARIFFS TAKE EFFECT IN AZERBAIJAN

    •
    New tariffs approved during the current session of the Tariff (Price) Board of the Republic of Azerbaijan took effect on January 8, 2007.

  • CEMENT PRICE IN AZERBAIJAN FIXED


    • Sudden enhancement of needs in construction materials in Azerbaijan caused the cement deficit in the markets, which led to the instability of cement prices and artificial overpricing set by some commercial structures.

  • GAS AND ELECTRICAL ENERGY SUPPLIES TO GEORGIA STARTED


    • Gas supplies to Georgia carried out in line with the inter-parliamentary agreements were started on January 11.

  • 23.8 BILLION KWH GENERATED IN AZERBAIJAN IN 2006

    •
    In 2006 the energy grid of Azerbaijan produced 23.8 billion kWh of electrical energy, which is 1.5 kWh higher compared to 2005.

  • NBA’S MONETARY RESERVES GREW TWO TIMES

    •
    The volume of the official monetary reserves managed by the National Bank of Azerbaijan grew by almost twice in 2006 (105%) in comparison with the year’s start.

    SOCAR


  • Production


  • SOCAR SUCCESSFULLY IMPLEMENTS OIL & GAS PRODUCTION STABILIZATION AND ENHANCEMENT PROGRAMME FOR 2006

    •
    The State Oil Company of Azerbaijan has announced successful implementation of the 2006 Oil & Gas Production Stabilization and Enhancement Programme. On the whole, in 2006 all enterprises operated by the State Oil Company of Azerbaijan produced 8,993.77 thousand tonnes of oil and 4 billion 456.26 million cubic metres of gas.

  • Petroleum refineries


  • Restructuring

    •

  • SOCAR TO FIND JOBS FOR SOME DISMISSED EMPLOYEES OF FOREIGN CONSORTIUMS WITHIN THE FRAMEWORK OF “THE CONTRACT OF THE CENTURY”

    •
    On January 11 the leadership of SOCAR, the representatives of BOSS Shelf and McDermott, and the management of the Heydar Aliyev Baku Deep-Water Platforms Plant discussed the issues regarding employment of dismissed local employees engaged in the projects of companies-subcontractors BOSS Shelf and McDermott, which are going to finish in 2007.

  • BUILDING FOR SOCAR’S REPRESENTATION IN GEORGIA BOUGHT


    • After completing all organizational arrangements the Georgia’s office of the State Oil Company of Azerbaijan has started working. Last year SOCAR opened offices in Romania and Turkey, SOCAR told Caspian Energy Investor.


    CONSORTIA


  • Shah Deniz

    •

  • GAS PRODUCTION ON SHAH DENIZ FIELD RESTARTED

    •
    Gas production on the Shah Deniz gas-condensate field has been restarted.

  • Chirag

    •


    COMPANIES


    WORLD MARKET


  • OPEC TO CUT QUOTAS

    •
    Organization of Petroleum-Exporting Countries (ÎPEC) is launching consultations regarding the out-of-turn special session of the cartel. The aim is to take measures in order to stop the last weeks’ prolonged price fall.