1 Feb 2023 16:34

Kazakhstan to increase Trans-Caspian International Transport Route capacity to 15 mln tonnes of oil by 2025

ASTANA. Feb 1 (Interfax) - A working group has been set up to develop the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (TITR), Kazakh Deputy Energy Minister Aset Magauov said.

"The goal of the project is to provide throughput capacity of 6.5 million tonnes in 2023, up to 7.5 million tonnes in 2024 and 15 million tonnes by the end of 2025," Magauov said at an expanded meeting in the Ministry of Energy in Astana on Wednesday.

The Trans-Caspian International Transport Route, also known as the Middle Corridor, is an international transport corridor that runs through China, Kazakhstan, the Caspian Sea, Azerbaijan, Georgia, and further to Turkey and European countries. The Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway is part of the corridor.

At present, Kazakhstan exports bulk of its oil through the Caspian Pipeline Consortium. The consortium transports over 80% of pipeline oil. Its annual capacity is 67 million tonnes.

The need to develop an alternative route for oil exports in Kazakhstan was discussed after reports of a possible suspension in operations at the CPC marine terminal as per the recent court decision on eliminating violations of environmental legislation. This was preceded by restrictions on the operation of the single point moorings (SPM) in connection with the survey of the water area for the presence of explosive devices, though the measures did not affect fulfilling the unloading schedule at the CPC. There was also a halt in shipments for nearly a month from the CPC's SPM in March 2022 owing to the consequences of a storm.