BAKU.03.12.2004. MEDIA-PRESS: For 11 months of the current year 4.577 bn cubic meters of gas have been produced and this is more than 3.5% then it has been forecasted.
As Media-Press has been informed in the State Oil Company, 3.662 bn cubic meters of gas have been produced by the subdivisions of the SOCAR, the Azerbaijan International Operating Company (AIOC) has produced 915.3 MM cubic meters. The joint companies have produced 108.9 MM cubic meters of gas.
On November gas production has made 416.3 MM cubic meters. A share of the SOCAR has made 328.9 MM cubic meters; a share of the AIOC has made 87.4 MM cubic meters. The joint companies have producd 9.2 MM cubic meters.
Azerbaijan needs in up to 10 bn cubic meters of gas annually. In the past year Azerbaijan purchased 4 bn cubic meters of "blue fuel" from the international group of companies "Itera". This year "Gazprom" replaced "Itera" and plans to deliver 2.75 bn cubic meters of the natural gas to Azerbaijan. Recently else one agreement between the SOCAR and the CJC "KazRosGaz" has been signed on deliveries by 4.5 bn cubic meters of gas.
The CJC "KazRosGaz" started the gas deliveries since January of the current year. For January - February Azerbaijan has imported already almost 1 bn cubic meters of gas from Kazakhstan. The SOCAR purchases the Kazakhstan gas for $52 per 1 thou cubic meter. The annual import gas demand of the Azerbaijan market makes about 6 bn cubic meters.
The republic will receive the subsidiary volumes of gas also since within the frameworks of the project of extension of the Sangachal oil terminal the gas drying installation will be installed. Today all oil delivered to the terminal is separated from water and gas. Received gas is liquated. The construction of new installation would not allow liquating gas, but delivering it to the State Oil Company of Azerbaijan, which in its turn will deliver it to consumers. Gas will be burned in flames only in emergencies. For realization of this idea the SOCAR also plans to build special gas receiving installation and the pipeline up to the Sangachal gas distribution point.