Caspian Pipeline Consortium

The Caspian Pipeline Consortium is a consortium and a pipeline to transport Caspian oil from Tengiz field to the Novorossiysk-2 Marine Terminal on Russia's Black Sea coast. It is also a major export route for oil from the Kashagan and Karachaganak fields. As of 2009, the CPC pipeline is the only oil export pipeline in Russian territory not wholly owned by Transneft.^[1]

History

CPC was initially created in 1992 as a development by the Russian, Kazakhstani and Omani governments to build a dedicated pipeline from Kazakhstan to export routes in the Black Sea. Chevron Corporation was asked to join, however talks broke down due to the high financial burden Chevron would have to take on relative to equity in the pipeline. Progress on the project stalled for several years until 1996 when a restructure included eight production companies in the project. Among the companies were Chevron, Mobil, LUKoil, Royal Dutch Shell and Rosneft. BP joined the consortium in 2003. Shares were divided fifty-fifty between the three states and the eight companies. Production companies financed the construction cost of US$2.67 billion, while the Russian Federation contributed unused pipeline assets worth US$293 million.^[1][2] First oil was loaded onto a tanker at the Novorossiysk Marine Terminal on 13 October 2001 and the first stage of the pipeline was officially inaugurated on 27 November 2001. Regular operations started in April 2003.

In April 2007, the Russian government transferred its shares to the Russian state-owned oil pipeline company Transneft.^[3] In October 2008, the Government of Oman sold its 7%-stake to Transneft at a price of $700million and withdrew from the project.^[4] On 17 December 2008, a memorandum on expanding the pipeline was signed.^[5]

Technical features

The diameter of the 1,510 kilometres (940 mi) long oil pipeline varies between 1,016 millimetres (40.0 in) and 1,067 millimetres (42.0 in). There are five pumping stations. The marine terminal includes two single point moorings and the tank farm consists of four steel storage tanks of 100,000 cubic metres (3,500,000 cu ft) each. Pipeline throughflow started at 350,000 barrels per day (56,000 m³/d) and has since increased to 700,000 barrels per day (110,000 m³/d).^[2][6]

An envisaged second stage will add 10 pumping stations for a total of 15. The number of tanks will increase to ten and one more mooring will be constructed. Capacity will increase to 1.3 million barrels per day (210,000 m³/d). The second stage has been estimated to cost around US$2 billion and will be completed by 2012.^[2][6][7]

Operations

In 2008, CPC transported 31.5 million tons of crude, down from 32.6 million tonnes in 2007. In the first three months of 2009, the pipeline transported 8.7 million tonnes of oil.^[8]

Consortium

The Caspian Pipeline Consortium was initially registered in the Bermuda Islands in 1992.^[1] It is split into two companies: CPC-R operates the Russian section of the pipeline and CPC-K operates the Kazakh section.^[1]

The shareholders of the consortium are:

• Transneft - 31%
• Kazakhstan - 19%
• Chevron Caspian Pipeline Consortium Co. - 15%
• LukArco B.V. - 12.5%
• Mobil Caspian Pipeline Co. - 7.5%
• Rosneft - Shell Caspian Ventures Ltd. - 7.5%
• Agip International (N.A.) N.V. - 2%
• Oryx Caspian Pipeline LLC - 1.75%
• BG Overseas Holdings Ltd. - 2%
• Kazakhstan Pipeline Ventures LLC (joint venture of KazMunayGas and BP)- 1.75%

Tengiz Field shareholders control 55.75% of the Consortium, Kasaghan shareholders control 33.1%.^[1]

In December 2009, BP sold its stake in LukArco to Lukoil for $1.6 billion.^[9][10]

References

External links

• Caspian Pipeline Consortium, official website
• New York Times map of pipeline route

Pipeline systems of Russia by year of launch
Gas pipelines	Saratov–Moskva pipeline (1946) Northern Lights (1975–1994) Urengoy–Pomary–Uzhgorod pipeline (1983) Yamal–Europe pipeline (1997) Blue Stream (2003) Dzuarikau–Tskhinvali pipeline (2009) Baku–Novo Filya pipeline (2010) Bovanenkovo–Ukhta (2011) Nord Stream (2011–2012) Sakhalin–Khabarovsk–Vladivostok pipeline (2011–2012) Central Asia–Center (1960–1988; 2011–2012) Altai gas pipeline South Stream (cancelled) Turk Stream Power of Siberia (2019)
Petrol pipelines	Grozny–Tuapse oil pipeline (1928) Tikhoretsk–Tuapse pipeline (1962) Druzhba pipeline (1964) Uzen–Atyrau–Samara pipeline (1971) Baku–Novorossiysk pipeline (1997) Baltic Pipeline System (2001) Caspian Pipeline Consortium (2004) Eastern Siberia–Pacific Ocean oil pipeline (2010) Baltic Pipeline System-II (2012–2013) Murmansk Pipeline (unknown date)
Other pipelines	Ammonia: Tolyatti–Odessa pipeline
See also: Water pipe

Black Sea Energy
Oil fields	A-T Anastasievsko-Troitskoye B-T C-T Cobza D-T Delta IV Delta VI Eugenia Eugenia South Gîsca Irina Lebăda Est Lebăda Vest Midia SE Mihaela Olimpiysky Pescăruş Prykerchenske Sinoe Subbotinske Tuapse Tyulenovo Val Shatsky
Natural gas fields	A-E Akçakoca Ana Anca Arkhangelske Balaur Bezimenne Bianca Chaika Clara Cobălcescu Doina Domino Durusu East Cobălcescu Florina Foroska Galata Gina Holitsynske Ioana Izgrev Kaliakra Kaliakra East Kamchia Lira Luceafărul Maria Miorița Muridava Nadia Obzor Odeske Pallas Paula Pelican South Pivdenno-Holitsynske Ropotamo Shmidtivske Shtormove Skifska South Cobălcescu
Pipelines	AGRI AMBO Baku–Batumi Baku–Novorossiysk Baku–Supsa Blue Stream Burgas–Alexandroupoli Caspian Pipeline Consortium Grozny–Tuapse Odessa–Brody PEOP Samsun–Ceyhan South Stream Turkish Stream White Stream
Refineries:	LUKOIL Neftochim Petromidia
Oil terminals:	Kulevi Midia Novorossiysk Tuapse