Posted on 04/20/2006 11:07:09 AM PDT by lizol
Slovaks join Polish-Ukraine Caspian oil project 2006-04-20 16:50
BRATISLAVA, April 20 (Reuters) - Slovak officials said on Thursday they had agreed on a project to join two pipeline projects and bring up to three million tonnes of Caspian oil annually through Slovakia to Central Europe.
Extending Ukraine's Odessa-Brody pipeline into Poland and sending Caspian oil into Slovakia became a hot topic after pro-Western Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko came to power in 2004.
The project envisages reversing the flow of a Ukrainian pipeline that brings Russian crude to the Black Sea port of Odessa so that it brings Caspian oil instead through Ukraine to Poland and the Baltic sea.
On Thursday officials agreed to allow oil to also flow into Slovakia -- and onward to the Czech Republic -- as part of the project.
"Today was a breakthrough. We should have a business plan by mid-May," said Dagmar Repcekova, an official at the Slovak Foreign Ministry, after a meeting with officials from European Commission and Ukrainian, Slovak and Czech companies.
Officials have said that Caspian oil could begin flowing into Poland within three years. The European Bank of Reconstruction (EBRD) had said in the past it might participate in the Polish-Ukraine part of the project, seen worth around 600 million euros.
Faouzi Bensarsa, an energy official at the European Commission's External Relations Directorate General, said including Slovakia in the overall plan was a natural extension since there is already a pipeline between Ukraine and the capital Bratislava that has spare capacity. "We have everything we need -- a new source of oil, demand for the oil and free capacity," he said. "All we have to do is work out the technical details."
Sticking points include transit fees and the cost of building reservoirs in Slovakia to handle Caspian crude, officials said.
There's been a "business plan" for that oil since old John D. Rockefeller was around.
The project envisages reversing the flow of a Ukrainian pipeline that brings Russian crude to the Black Sea port of Odessa so that it brings Caspian oil instead through Ukraine to Poland and the Baltic sea. ==
Lizol tell me how the Caspian oil wiil reach Odessa. AFAIK Odessa is port on Black sea not on Caspian sea.
The project envisages reversing the flow of a Ukrainian pipeline that brings Russian crude to the Black Sea port of Odessa so that it brings Caspian oil instead through Ukraine to Poland and the Baltic sea. ==
Lizol tell me how the Caspian oil wiil reach Odessa. AFAIK Odessa is port on Black sea not on Caspian sea.
If I remember correctly they already imported some Azeri oil, although not too much. There is pipeline from Baku to Supsa in Georgia. Tankers would transport oil to Odessa. So what is the problem? Russian pirates? :)
The stranded mines of WW2 times:).
But sametime ukranian president Yushchenko sells his automobile on EBay in attempt to finance the building Odessa-Brodi pipeline:))).
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/EXCLUSIVE-Mersedes-Benz-TD-S-350-of-Viktor-Yushchenko_W0QQitemZ4626817969QQcategoryZ6336QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
I think there is something called tankers.
Great photo btw, typical Russian cult of leadership :)
Great photo btw, typical Russian cult of leadership :)==
Don't you on moment liked to be Putin on this photo? I did:).
The actual source of this photo is here: http://yellow-reporter.livejournal.com/573069.html
It's nice to be the president, from time to time :-)))
US-Polish Jedi against Darth Putinokio
This project is impossible without Kazakh oil. But Nazarbayev doesn't hurry to transport his oil via Caspian sea, Azerbaijan and Georgia. He prefers Russian pipelines.
Nazarbayev is a smart dictator, I must admit. He is playing on both sides for sure. The most profitable solution for him is diversification. Now is looking how the world treat Aliev of Azerbaijan and see that they are willing to close their eyes for oil deliveries. Such solution would be ideal to Nazarbayev. There is no reasonable cause why would he prefer only Russian pipelines. I’m sure that he dislike monopolistic practices of Russia. Kazakh delegation is present in every meeting about new oil projects, for example on the ceremony of opening Baku-Ceyhan pipeline. In the internet English language Kazakh state owned media outlets I noticed many articles about meetings of Polish or Ukrainian diplomats with their Kazakh counter-partners. Kazakh side always claim to be interested in our project. I believe if they are any problems it is rather on our side…
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