Baku, Kyiv discuss TANAP, AGRI pipelines
During a recent visit to Baku, Ukrainian Minister of Energy and Coal Industry Eduard Stavitski was welcomed by First Deputy Prime Minister of Azerbaijan Yagub Eyubov, news agencies reported. Stavitsky met with Industry and Energy Minister Natig Aliyev and also took part in a meeting which was attended by representatives of the State Oil Company of Azerbaijan (SOCAR) and Azerenerji OJSC, the Ministry of Energy Coal Industry of Ukraine said in a statement. In course of talks, Aliyev and Stavitski discussed Azerbaijani gas transportation to Ukraine. The issue about transportation of compressed or liquid Azeri gas to Ukraine would be researched by working groups under the Ministries.
Ukraine’s minister, however, did not disclose volume of Azeri gas to be exported to Ukraine. Ukrainian Minister did not spoke about volume of Azeri gas to be exported to Ukraine. During meeting with Eyubov, Stavitsky discussed the matter of Azeri oil supplies to Ukraine, implementation of gas transport projects TANAP and AGRI LNG.
The use of the Ukrainian gas transport system for the supply of Azeri gas to Europe was also discussed. It was also offered the supply of Ukrainian pipes for gas pipeline TANAP, construction of LNG-terminal in Ukraine for the supply of Azeri gas to this country. At the meetings, Stavitsky made it clear that energy sector will remain a key sector of co-operation between Ukraine and Azerbaijan, adding that the realisation of the Euro-Asian Oil Transport Corridor (EOTC) certainly remains one of the priorities in the energy sector of Ukraine. Other topics covered includes course of project EOTC, preparation for signing of a five-sided intergovernmental agreement. Delivery of the first shipment of Azeri oil via this corridor will begin in early 2016.
Stavitsky said that Ukraine is interested to resume Azeri oil supplies to Ukrainian refineries. The Ukrainian party has created all the technical prerequisites for Azeri oil transit through Ukraine to markets of Europe, including the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary with the use of Odessa-Brody pipeline and system Druzhba. According to sources, Ukraine has also offered services in implementation of the hydropower potential of Azerbaijan, especially the possibility of re-equipment and modernisation of existing hydropower plants and the design, construction and commissioning of new hydropower plants.