Kazakh minister confirms Azerbaijan could boost oil transit to 2.2 million tonnes

Azerbaijan has expressed readiness to increase the transit of Kazakh oil through the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) pipeline to 2.2 million tonnes per year, Kazakh Energy Minister Erlan Akkenzhenov said.

Speaking at a meeting of the ministry’s collegium, Akkenzhenov said that under existing arrangements, around 1.2 million tonnes of Kazakh crude are transported annually via the BTC route as part of efforts to diversify export channels, Caliber.Az reports via local media.

“Meanwhile, the Azerbaijani side has signalled its willingness to raise the intake of Kazakh oil to 2.2 million tonnes per year,” Akkenzhenov added.

The Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) pipeline is a key route for Caspian oil exports, stretching roughly 1,768 kilometres from Azerbaijan’s capital, Baku, through Georgia, to the Turkish port of Ceyhan on the Mediterranean.

Operational since 2006, it has been a vital corridor for Kazakhstan and other Caspian producers seeking to reach global markets without relying on Russian pipelines.

By Aghakazim Guliyev