SOCAR ups gas exports 54% in Jan-Oct
BAKU. Nov 23 (Interfax) - State Oil Company of the Azerbaijani Republic (SOCAR) exported 2.225 billion cubic meters (bcm) of gas in January-October, a 53.6% year-on-year increase, a company source told Interfax.
"SOCAR exported 2.225 billion cubic meters of gas over the ten months, which represented 26.5% of the company's overall gas sales for the period," the source said.
SOCAR gas exports in October amounted to 158.1 million cubic meters, he said.
The company currently exports gas to Russia and Georgia, and also to Iran on a swap basis.
OJSC Gazprom and SOCAR did a deal for Azerbaijani gas on October 14, 2009. SOCAR exported 799.751 million cubic meters of natural gas to Russia last year, and will supply 2 bcm this year and next.
The Georgian government and SOCAR concluded a memorandum in 2008 per which Azerbaijan will not increase the cost of the gas Georgia requires for its people and the operation of thermal power plants. The price of gas supplied to the population is $167 per thousand cubic meters and to thermal power plants - $143/1,000 m3.
In return for supplying Georgia with gas at a good price, SOCAR gets the right to dispense all the gas imported from Georgia.