Feasibility study of AGRI project to be ready in autumn

Feasibility study of AGRI project on transportation of Azerbaijani liquefied gas to Romania via the Black Sea coast of Georgia will be ready in September, Georgian Energy Minister Alexander Khetaguri told reporters on Monday during the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly Economic Forum in Batumi.

According to Khetaguri, the new route for transportation of Azerbaijani liquefied gas to Europe is very important. "Hungary, which also wants to receive liquefied gas from Azerbaijan intends to join the agreement, which involves Azerbaijan, Georgia and Romania," he stressed.

Khetaguri stressed that Hungary's joining the project is possible in autumn, when negotiations will be held on an agreement to join the project. "It's a good way of ensuring Europe's energy security," he said.

Khetaguri said after preparing the feasibility study the parties will begin work to attract funds for the construction of necessary infrastructure.

The AGRI project envisages transporting Azerbaijani gas via pipelines to the Black Sea coast of Georgia, where the gas will be liquefied at a special terminal. The gas will then be delivered to a terminal at the Romanian port of Constanta via tankers. The participants in the AGRI project are the State Oil Company of Azerbaijan (SOCAR), Georgian Oil and Gas Corporation, as well as the MVM Company (Hungary) and Romgaz (Romania).

The capacity of the AGRI Project is considered in three variants - 2 billion cubic meters of gas per year, 5 billion cubic meters and 8 billion cubic meters. According to preliminary data, depending on the project capacity, its costs will vary from 1.2 billion to 4.5 billion euros.


/Trend/