Kazakh oil transit via BTC pipeline could rise to 7 mln tpy by 2027 - Azerbaijani energy minister

BAKU. Oct 14 (Interfax) - Kazakh oil transit through Azerbaijan via the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) pipeline could increase to 7 million tonnes per year by 2027, Azerbaijani Energy Minister Parviz Shahbazov said on Tuesday at a meeting of the Azerbaijani-Kazakh Intergovernmental Trade and Economic Cooperation Commission.

"In the energy sector, cooperation between SOCAR [State Oil Company of Azerbaijan] and KazMunayGas on Kazakh oil transit through Azerbaijan is developing successfully. There are plans to increase this transit to 7 million tonnes per year by 2027, which will be an important step in strengthening energy partnership and diversifying Kazakhstan's export routes," Shahbazov said.

He said that 3.4 million tonnes of Kazakh oil had been transported to global markets via the BTC pipeline since 2023.

Shahbazov said Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan intended to continue their cooperation on mutually beneficial terms, ensuring stable growth in oil transportation and the development of joint energy infrastructure.

Kazakhstan intends to increase oil transportation via the Aktau-Baku-Ceyhan route to 1.7 million tonnes in 2025, the Kazakh Energy Ministry has said.

KazMunayGas and SOCAR signed an agreement on the transit of Kazakh oil in 2022. In 2024, the parties concluded a new agreement providing for a phased increase in pumping volumes through the territory of Azerbaijan.

The Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline, with a length of about 1,700 km, connects the Caspian region with the Turkish Mediterranean port of Ceyhan. Its throughput capacity reaches 50 million tonnes of oil per year. For Kazakhstan, BTC plays a strategic role in diversifying exports and ensuring stable access to world markets.