Pipeliners

07-12-2006 Regnum News - Festive opening ceremony of Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline in a rather difficult in technical aspect $3bn-$5bn (according to various estimations) worth construction, is to take place on July 13. As Politmonitor reports, experts repeatedly cast doubt on expediency of the pipeline’s construction because, among other factors, Azerbaijan does not have enough oil reserves for its filling. If there were no permanent open, from time to time, even desperate lobbying of the pipeline by the USA, it is unclear, what could finally happen. BTC oil pipeline is planned to transport about 50mln tons of oil annually. Otherwise, its profitability will be rather law. It is worth repeating, Azerbaijan does not have such amount of oil. It can expect producing of 20-25 million of tons by 2010. That is why, the construction’s initiators tried to persuade Kazakhstan. The country agreed after long-term hesitation. However, Astana have big obligations concerning other countries, for example, China. Several huge oil fields are being still constructed. One should not figure on supply of big Kazakhstan oil, at least in the near future. That is why, economic expediency of BTC oil pipeline remains as usual questionable.