Kazakhstan eyes Baku–Supsa pipeline for future oil exports, minister says

Kazakhstan is considering the possibility of exporting its oil via the Baku–Supsa pipeline if a corresponding agreement is reached with Azerbaijan, Energy Minister Yerlan Akkenzhenov said.

“We are considering all routes [for Kazakh oil exports], including Baku–Supsa. I did not say it is commercially unviable. Geographically, our oil currently goes through the Atyrau–Samara system and directly through Russia to the Black Sea. In other words, we deliver it in Kazakhstan and receive the same volume at the Black Sea coast in Novorossiysk,” the minister explained, Caliber.Az reports via local media.

He noted that exporting Kazakh oil through the Baku–Supsa pipeline, involving loading and unloading operations in the ports of Aktau and Baku, would be more expensive than using the Russian route.

“With Baku–Supsa, the oil would be loaded onto tankers in Aktau, unloaded in Baku, then fed into the Baku–Supsa system, and finally received at the Black Sea. This double handling makes it more costly for our shippers, so the issue is currently under study,” Akkenzhenov said.

The minister also clarified that no additional investment in upgrading the pipeline would be required for Kazakh exports.

“Baku–Supsa is currently used for technical oil, and it can be utilised if Kazakhstan reaches an agreement with the Azerbaijani side,” he added.

The Baku–Supsa pipeline was commissioned on April 17, 1999. Stretching 837 km with a diameter of 530 mm and a capacity of 7.5 million tons of oil per year, it was built as part of the contract to develop the Azeri, Chirag, and Gunashli fields.

Currently, only limited oil volumes are transported through the pipeline. According to Azerbaijan’s Ministry of Energy, 90,000 tons were moved in 2024, down from 150,000 tons in 2023. BP-Azerbaijan confirmed that the pipeline is not frozen and is fully ready to transport oil at any moment.

By Khagan Isayev