BAKU, Azerbaijan, March 30 (UPI) -- The $3.6 billion Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline is the largest Western investment project on post-Soviet territory.
The Messenger reported March 29 that the filling of the BTC pipeline has reached Turkish territory between the second (PST-2) and third (PST-3) oil pipelines.
The BTC began being loaded with oil in May 2005 and is being loaded with 175,000 barrels a day. The BTC pipeline, when fully loaded and ready to export, will contain more than 6 million barrels of oil.
Ten million barrels of oil are needed to fill the pipeline to capacity. Azerbaijan is the sole provider for the BTC pipeline.
Baku is involved in discussions with Kazakhstan about how Kazakh oil might be transported via the BTC pipeline.
Azeri Minister for Industry and Energy Natiq Aliyev said March 30 the BTC would become operational May 27, telling reporters on Baku's Lider TV: "We are making every effort to wrap up our work. We are determined to spare no effort in completing the work and launching the pipeline on May 27."
