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Of pipelines and caviar
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Safdari, Cyrus
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Dec 25, 1999 12:38 PST
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Transcaspian gas pipeline route studied at Turkmen government meeting
12/24/1999
BBC Worldwide Monitoring
Source: Turkmen Press news agency, Ashkhabad, in Russian 0926 gmt 20 Dec
99/BBC Worldwide Monitoring/(c) BBC
Text of report by the Turkmen news agency Turkmen Press on 20th December
The harsh climate of the Karakum desert is perhaps the only obstacle to
laying the Transcaspian gas pipeline on the territory of Turkmenistan, but
is a wholly surmountable one. The latest meeting of the joint working group
for the Transcaspian gas pipeline project discussed the technical aspects of
building a section more than 700 kilometres long from the Pustynnaya
compressor station to the coast of the Caspian Sea. the meeting was attended
by members of the working groups of Turkmenistan's government, the US PSG
company, the Anglo-Dutch Shell company and the US Bekhtel [Bekhtel
Enterprises] company. The results of exploration of the entire route made in
field conditions and also by helicopter were presented at the meeting. The
existing infrastructure and the state of surface installations, which will
be involved in carrying out the construction work, were analyzed and
transport routes studied. The question of the need to determine an
ecological consultancy company which is to give its conclusions on the state
of the gas pipeline route was also raised at the meeting. All this material
will be used as the foundation for the basic project. This is planned to be
ready by March 2000. Study of the surface routes of the gas pipeline through
Azerbaijan and Georgia will start in January. Construction of the gas
pipeline will start at the end of 2000.
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Kazakh oil company in conflict with Greens over Caspian Sea drilling
12/24/1999
BBC Worldwide Monitoring
Source: Interfax-Kazakhstan news agency, Almaty, in Russian 0821 gmt 24 Dec
99/BBC Worldwide Monitoring/(c) BBC
Excerpts from report by the Kazakh news agency Interfax-Kazakhstan on 24th
December
Almaty, 24th December: Since 1993 around 600m dollars have been invested
into the project to drill the first exploratory well on Kazakhstan's shelf
of the Caspian Sea, the business support manager of OKIOC (Offshore
Kazakhstan International Operating Company - the company for marine
operations in the Caspian Sea), Kenzhebek Ibrashev told a news conference
today in a response to a question from the Interfax-Kazakhstan agency. He
said that about 300m dollars of this sum had been spent on the first stage
of seismic work and the remaining 300m dollars in 1998-1999. Ibrashev said
that at the moment OKIOC had completed the drilling of two sections of the
first well, East Kashagan-1, and preparatory work for drilling the third
section was being carried out. As at today, Ibrashev noted, more than half
of the well depth has been drilled. The total well depth as per the project
is 4,500 metres. It was reported earlier that OKIOC had drilled around 3,000
meters of the well by the beginning of December. OKIOC's representative said
that simultaneously the company was acquiring experience in carrying out
drilling work in winter conditions. Ibrashev emphasized that the company
"had no policy of stopping drilling work" in winter time. He said that the
company "had certain restrictions on working in difficult ice conditions
when carrying out drilling work in an open reservoir". At the moment, he
noted, OKIOC "has not reached the reservoir" as yet. Ibrashev noted that
everything would depend on the actual situation. [Passage omitted: OKIOC
announced a possible suspension of drilling work in winter time if the
production horizon was reached and planned to resume drilling in spring]
OKIOC's advisor on environmental issues, Oleg Starukhin, declared at the
news conference that the company "is strictly adhering to its declared
zero-dumping principle". He noted that "no drilling-related industrial waste
will be dumped into the Caspian Sea". Starukhin said that cuttings would be
sent to a plant for reprocessing drilling waste in Bautino in Mangistau
Region [western Kazakhstan]. In addition, he said, OKIOC has a programme of
ecological monitoring of the Caspian Sea. It was reported earlier that OKIOC
had put the insurance premium for ecological risk in drilling the first
exploratory well on the Caspian shelf at 500m dollars. At the moment,
Starukhin said, OKIOC is maintaining relations with all ecological
organizations and hoping for a settlement of problems arising between the
drilling company and the "green" movement. Ibrashev noted that OKIOC would
assess the exploratory well drilling in the spring of the year 2000. He said
that the company would continue drilling other wells regardless of the
results of the exploratory drilling work. [Passage to end omitted: OKIOC
intends to reinforce its office in Atyrau (western Kazakhstan) and cut the
staff in its Almaty office; 180 people are working in OKIOC of which 65 per
cent are Kazakhstani citizens. In all, 400 people are involved in the OKIOC
project, of which 55 per cent are Kazakhstani citizens, background
information on the company's history]
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Turkey gets loan for Iran -Turkey natural gas pipeline
12/24/1999
BBC Worldwide Monitoring
Source: Anatolia news agency, Ankara, in English 0912 gmt 24 Dec 99/BBC
Worldwide Monitoring/(c) BBC
Text of report in English by the Turkish news agency Anatolia
Ankara, 24th December: The loan agreement regarding the last part of the
Iran -Turkey natural gas pipeline project was signed on Friday [24th
December]. The Pipeline Transport Inc (BOTAS) and Banco Santander Hispano,
the bank which will provide the credit, signed the loan agreement. The
amount of the loan which Spain will give for the construction of 260-km-long
pipeline from Sivas to Kayseri is 102m US dollars. Gokhan Yardim,
director-general of BOTAS, told Anatolia correspondent on Friday that the
loan for the construction of whole of the pipeline was provided as this
final agreement was signed. They aim at fulfilling the project until the end
of next year, Yardim said. Yardim noted that he will visit Iran in the first
week of January. He and the accompanying delegation will review the latest
situation of the project and will evaluate the latest developments regarding
the project, Yardim added. Turkey has to construct 1,286 kilometre-long
pipeline, which will pass from Dogu Beyazit, Erzurum, Sivas, Kayseri,
Ankara, Konya and Seydisehir within the framework of the project. BOTAS met
the costs of the construction of Dogubeyazit-Erzurum route of the pipeline
with its own resources. This route will be completed in the following days.
The construction of Erzurum-Sivas, Kayseri-Ankara, Kayseri-Konya-Seydisehir
routes continue. Later these routes will be connected to
Malatya-Kahramanmaras-Gaziantep-Adana. The pipeline will also be constructed
to Isparta-Denizli route and will reach Izmir via Nazilli. Thus Turkey will
be laid with main pipelines.
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Ukraine, Armenia, Iran mull gas pipeline plan
12/24/1999
BBC Worldwide Monitoring
Source: Interfax news agency, Moscow, in English 1311 gmt 23 Dec 99/BBC
Worldwide Monitoring/(c) BBC
Text of report in English by Russian news agency Interfax
Kiev, 23rd December: Foreign ministerial delegations of Ukraine and Armenia
discussed the possible construction of a gas pipeline to run from southern
Iran to Europe through Armenia and Ukraine. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Borys
Tarasyuk said at the end of the talks in Kiev on Thursday [23rd December]
that the proposal had been voiced by his Iranian counterpart Kamal Kharrazi.
Asked by reporters to reveal the details of the project, Tarasyuk said:
"There are no details so far. There is nothing to talk about as of yet."
Experts from countries which might be involved in the project should meet
and discuss prospects for the construction of the pipeline, according to
him.
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BLUE STREAM TO KEEP RUSSIA A LEADER ON WORLD ENERGY MARKET
12/21/1999
Interfax
Copyright (C) 1999 Interfax News Agency; Source: World Reporter (TM)
MOSCOW. Dec 21 (Interfax) - Russia's Gazprom said the Blue Stream gas
pipeline project is politically important because it will maintain Russia as
a leader on the world energy market.
Maintaining that status will in turn have a favorable impact for Russia's
political presence in the vast region from the North Caucasus
to the Middle East, according to materials Gazprom prepared
for
hearings on Blue Stream to be held Tuesday by the Foreign
Affairs
Committee in the Federation Council, Russia's upper house
of
parliament.
Russia's energy leadership will help to "find a unified position with Iran
and the nations of the Middle East and successfully counter the U.S.
administration's policy of forcing Russia out of those regions," the
material said.
Gazprom notes that it is coming up with the entire $1.7
billion
costs of the project. No budget funds will be used to
build Blue
Stream. At the same time, the pipeline will generate $25 billion in revenues
for Russia over 25 years, including $4.5 billion - $7 billion for the
budget, depending on gas prices. [RU TR EUROPE ASIA EEU EMRG LDC O NGS]
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LATEST ROUND TRANS- CASPIAN PIPELINE TALKS COMPLETED IN GEORGIA
12/22/1999
Interfax
Copyright (C) 1999 Interfax News Agency; Source: World Reporter (TM)
TBILISI. Dec 22 (Interfax) - The latest round of talks on the Trans- Caspian
gas pipeline project ended in Georgia on Tuesday.
The Trans- Caspian project will lay a gas pipeline
from
Turkmenistan across the Caspian Sea to Azerbaijan and on
through
Georgia to Turkey.
Project General Director Michael Alvarez led a delegation that met with
officials from Georgia International Gas Corporation (GIGC) to discuss
technical, financial and legal issues concerning pipeline construction.
GIGC President Alexei Gotsiridze said Georgia wanted more than just transit
fees. It ought to participate in all projects related to pipeline
construction and receive needed volumes of gas once the pipeline is in
operation, Gotsiridze said.
Georgian President Eduard Shevardnadze was kept informed of progress of the
talks. Construction will be completed in 2002. Exports on the pipeline will
begin in the spring of 2003, at a rate of 16 billion cubic meters a year.
Volumes will rise to as much as 30 billion cubic meters a year by 2007. Jh
[GG TM AZ TR EUROPE ASIA EEU EMRG LDC O NGS] <>
============================================
PIPELINE CONSORTIUM WANTS TO BUY LAND IN KAZAKHSTAN
12/22/1999
Interfax
Copyright (C) 1999 Interfax News Agency; Source: World Reporter (TM)
ATYRAU. Dec 22 (Interfax-Kazakhstan) - The Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC)
intends to buy from Kazakhstan the land area where the pipeline from the
western Tengiz oil field to the Russian border will be laid, a source close
to the consortium management told Interfax-Kazakhstan.
The managers have compiled documents to be sent to the Kazakh Cabinet
suggesting that the area be sold or rented to the consortium for 50 years.
The CPC will offer up to $100,000 per kilometer of the 452 kilometer land
stretch, the source said.
The consortium wants to buy the land area most likely because it is
unwilling to pay high land taxes, he assumes. [KZ ASIA EEU EMRG LDC CRU TRD]
<>
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12/09/1999
Interfax
Copyright (C) 1999 Interfax News Agency; Source: World Reporter (TM)
Russia will slash its black caviar exports in half this year, Deputy
Chairman of the State Fishery Committee Vladimir Izmailov told Interfax.
Exports will be cut because fishing quotas in the Caspian were reduced this
year. Russia caught nearly 1,500 tonnes of various kinds of sturgeon in the
region in 1998, but just 624 tonnes this year, he said. On the whole,
including the sturgeon catch in the Sea of Azov, Russian fishermen caught a
total of about 1,000 tonnes of sturgeon. Black caviar production is
estimated at 100 tonnes this year, while Russia produced 120 tonnes for
export alone in 1998.
As reported, in the 1980's Russia caught 10,000 - 12,000 tonnes
of
sturgeon in the Caspian alone. In 1997 the catch amounted to
2,200
tonnes and 1,500 tonnes in 1998. According to scientists from the Caspian
Fisheries R&D Institute in Astrakhan, sturgeon production in the Northern
Caspian may die out in 2002. At the same time the Southern Caspian produces
over 2,000 tonnes of sturgeon. According to many years of scientific
research, the main reason for the sharp drop in the sturgeon catch in the
Northern Caspian (zones of influence of Russia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and
Turkmenistan) is the pollution of the Volga which has decimated the sturgeon
breeding grounds, Izmailov said. Other causes for the drop in sturgeon
reserves include poaching. According to scientists, illegal fishing for
sturgeon produces several times more fish than legally granted quotas.
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