Kazakhstan to start oil export via Azerbaijan from January 2023

Kazakh Prime Minister Alikhan Smailov said has said that Kazakhstan will start exporting 1.5 million tonnes of oil via the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline from January 1, 2023.

"Through Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan, we now have an agreement to ship 1.5 million tonnes of oil in this direction from January 1, next year. And we are working on its further increase to 6-6.5 million tonnes. In terms of railway capabilities, Tengizchevroil has now purchased and doubled the number of tank cars, and pilot shipments by rail have already begun in the direction of Batumi and Uzbekistan," Smailov said at the Senate on November 10, according to Vlast.kz.

He noted that the government had developed a special road map for the diversification of oil exports. Specifically, this direction is through the Aktau port to the port of Baku and then via the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan route.

Kazakhstan is also considering Baku-Supsa and Baku-Batumi routes, where it has its own terminal, the prime minister added.

It should be noted that Kazakhstan has traditionally relied on Russia's petroleum export route.