Table 1. Caspian Sea Region Oil and Natural Gas Reserves
Country |
Proven* Oil Reserves |
Possible** Oil Reserves |
Total Oil Reserves |
Proven* Natural Gas Reserves |
Possible** Natural Gas Reserves |
Total Natural Gas Reserves |
Azerbaijan |
1.2 BBL |
32 BBL |
33.2 BBL |
4.4 Tcf |
35 Tcf |
39.4 Tcf |
Iran*** |
0.1 BBL |
15 BBL |
15.1 BBL |
0 Tcf |
11 Tcf |
11 Tcf |
Kazakhstan |
5.4 BBL |
92 BBL |
97.4 BBL |
65 Tcf |
88 Tcf` |
153 Tcf |
Russia*** |
2.7 BBL |
14 BBL |
16.7 BBL |
N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
Turkmenistan |
0.6 BBL |
80 BBL |
80.6 BBL |
101 Tcf |
159 Tcf |
260 Tcf |
Total |
10 BBL |
233 BBL |
243 BBL |
170.4 Tcf |
293 Tcf |
463.4 Tcf |
Sources: Oil and Gas Journal, Energy Information Administration
* proven reserves are defined as oil and natural gas deposits that are considered 90% probable
** possible reserves are defined as oil and natural gas deposits that are considered 50% probable
*** only the regions near the Caspian are included
BBL = billion barrels, Tcf = trillion cubic feet
Table 2. Caspian Sea Region Oil Production and Exports
(thousand barrels per day)
Country |
Production (1990) |
Est. Production (2001) |
Possible Production (2010) |
Net Exports (1990) |
Est. Net Exports (2001) |
Possible Net Exports (2010) |
Azerbaijan |
259 |
311.2 |
1,200 |
77 |
175.2 |
1,000 |
Kazakhstan |
602 |
811 |
2,000 |
109 |
631 |
1,700 |
Iran* |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
Russia** |
144 |
11 |
300 |
0 |
7 |
300 |
Turkmenistan |
125 |
159 |
200 |
69 |
107 |
150 |
Total |
1,130 |
1,292.2 |
3,700 |
255 |
920.2 |
3,150 |
Source: Energy Information Administration
* only the regions near the Caspian are included
** includes Astrakhan, Dagestan, and the North Caucasus region bordering the Caspian Sea
Table 3. Caspian Sea Region Natural Gas Production and Exports
(billion cubic feet per year)
Country |
Production (1990) |
Est. Production (2000) |
Possible Production (2010) |
Net Exports (1990) |
Est. Net Exports (2000) |
Possible Net Exports (2010) |
Azerbaijan |
350 |
200 |
1,100 |
-272 |
0 |
500 |
Kazakhstan |
251 |
314.3 |
1,100 |
-257 |
-176.6 |
350 |
Iran* |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
Russia** |
219 |
30 |
N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
Turkmenistan |
3,100 |
1,642 |
3,900 |
2,539 |
1,381 |
3,300 |
Total |
3,920 |
2,072 |
6,100 |
2,010 |
1,204.4 |
4,150 |
Source: Energy Information Administration
* only the regions near the Caspian are included
** includes Astrakhan, Dagestan, and the North Caucasus region bordering the Caspian Sea
Table 4. Oil Export Routes and Options in the Caspian Sea Region
Name/Location |
Route |
Crude Capacity |
Length |
Estimated Cost/Investment |
Status |
Atyrau-Samara Pipeline |
Atyrau (Kazakhstan) to Samara (Russia), linking to Russian pipeline system |
Recently increased to 310,000 bbl/d |
432 miles |
Increase in capacity cost approximately
$37.5 million |
Existing pipeline recently upgraded by adding pumping and heating stations to increase capacity. |
Baku-Ceyhan (“Main Export Pipeline”) |
Baku (Azerbaijan) via Tbilisi (Georgia) to Ceyhan (Turkey), terminating at the Ceyhan Mediterranean Sea port |
Planned: 1 million bbl/d |
Approximately 1,038 miles |
$2.9 billion |
One-year detailed engineering study completed in June 2002. Construction on Turkish section of pipeline began in June 2002. Completion of entire pipeline targeted for 2004, exports by Feb. 2005. |
Baku-Supsa Pipeline (AIOC “Early Oil” Western Route) |
Baku to Supsa (Georgia), terminating at Supsa Black Sea port |
Recently upgraded from 115,000 to 145,000 bbl/d; proposed upgrades to between 300,000 bbl/d to 600,000 bbl/d |
515 miles |
$600 million |
Exports began in April 1999; approximately 115,000 bbl/d exported via this route in 2001. |
Baku-Novorossiisk Pipeline (Northern Route) |
Baku via Chechnya (Russia) to Novorossiisk (Russia), terminating at Novorossiisk Black Sea oil terminal |
100,000 bbl/d capacity; possible upgrade to 300,000 bbl/d |
868 miles; 90 miles are in Chechnya |
$600 million to upgrade to 300,000 bbl/d |
Exports began late 1997; exports in 2001 averaged 50,000 bbl/d. |
Baku-Novorossiisk Pipeline (Chechnya bypass, with link to Makhachkala) |
Baku via Dagestan to Tikhoretsk (Russia) and terminating Novorossiisk Black Sea oil terminal |
Currently: 120,000 bbl/d (rail and pipeline: 160,000 bbl/d); Planned: 360,000 bbl/d (by 2005) |
204 miles |
$140 million |
Completed April 2000. Eleven-mile spur connects bypass with Russia’s Caspian Sea port of Makhachkala. |
Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC) Pipeline |
Tengiz oil field (Kazakhstan) to Novorossiisk Black Sea oil terminal |
Currently: 565,000-bbl/d; Planned: 1.34-million bbl/d (by 2015) |
990 miles |
$2.5 billion for Phase 1 capacity; $4.2 billion total when completed |
First tanker loaded in Novorossiisk (10/01); exports rising to 400,000 bbl/d by end-2002 |
Central Asia Oil Pipeline |
Kazakhstan via Turkmenistan and Afghanistan to Gwadar (Pakistan) |
Proposed 1 million bbl/d |
1,040 miles |
$2.5 billion |
Memorandum of Understanding signed by the countries; project stalled by regional instability and lack of financing. |
Iran-Azerbaijan Pipeline |
Baku to Tabriz (Iran) |
Proposed 200,000 bbl/d to 400,000 bbl/d |
N/A |
$500 million |
Proposed by TotalFinaElf. |
Iran Oil Swap Pipeline |
Neka (Iran) to Tehran (Iran) |
175,000 bbl/d, rising to 370,000 bbl/d |
208 miles |
$400 million to $500 million |
Under construction; oil will be delivered to Neka and swapped for an equivalent amount at the Iranian Persian Gulf coast. |
Kazakhstan-China Pipeline |
Aktyubinsk (Kazakhstan) to Xinjiang (China) |
Proposed 400,000 bbl/d to 800,000 bbl/d |
1,800 miles |
$3 billion to $3.5 billion |
Agreement 1997; feasibility study halted in September 1999 because Kazakhstan could not commit sufficient oil flows for the next 10 years. |
Kazakhstan- Turkmenistan-Iran Pipeline |
Kazakhstan via Turkmenistan to Kharg Island (Iran) on Persian Gulf |
Proposed 1million bbl/d |
930 miles |
$1.2 billion |
Feasibility study by TotalFinaElf; proposed completion date by 2005. |
Khashuri-Batumi Pipeline |
Dubendi (Azerbaijan) via Khashuri (Georgia) to Batumi |
Initial 70,000 bbl/d, rising to 140,000 bbl/d-160,000 bbl/d |
Rail system from Dubendi to Khashuri, then 105-mile pipeline from Khashuri to Batumi |
$70 million for pipeline renovation |
ChevronTexaco has canceled plans to rebuild and expand the existing pipeline. |
Trans-Caspian (Kazakhstan Twin Pipelines) |
Aqtau (western Kazakhstan, on Caspian coast) to Baku; could extend to Ceyhan |
N/A |
370 miles to Baku |
$2 billion to $4 billion (if to Ceyhan) |
Feasibility study agreement signed in December 1998 by Royal/Dutch Shell, ChevronTexaco, ExxonMobil, and Kazakhstan; project stalled by lack of Caspian Sea legal agreement. |
Table 5. Natural Gas Export Routes and Options in the Caspian Sea Region
Name/Location |
Route |
Capacity |
Length |
Estimated Cost/Investment |
Status |
Baku-Erzurum |
Baku (Azerbaijan) via Tbilisi (Georgia) to Erzurum (Turkey), linking with Turkish natural gas pipeline system |
Planned 254 Bcf capacity |
540 miles |
$1 billion (includes up to $500 million to construct new Azeri section) |
Financing being arranged, construction originally scheduled to start in summer 2002. |
“Centgas” (Central Asia Gas) |
Daulatabad (Turkmenistan) via Herat (Afghanistan) to Multan (Pakistan). Could extend to India. |
700 Bcf/year |
870 miles to Multan (additional 400 miles to India) |
$2 billion to Pakistan (additional $500 million to India) |
Memorandum of Understanding signed by Turkmenistan, Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Uzbekistan. Presidents of Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Turkmenistan met in May 2002 to discuss reviving this pipeline idea. |
Central Asia-Center Pipeline |
Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan via Kazakhstan to Saratov (Russia), linking to Russian natural gas pipeline system |
3.5 Tcf/year |
Existing route |
N/A |
Operational. Turkmenistan is using this pipeline to export a total of 8.83 Tcf to Ukraine (via Russia) from 2002 to 2006, as well as smaller amounts to Russia. |
China Gas Pipeline |
Turkmenistan to Xinjiang (China). Could extend to Japan. |
1 Tcf/year |
4,1,61 miles; more if to Japan |
$10 billion to China; more if to Japan |
Preliminary feasibility study done by ExxonMobil, Mitsubishi, and CNPC |
Trans-Caspian Gas Pipeline (TCGP) |
Turkmenbashy (Turkmenistan) via Baku and Tbilisi to Erzurum, linking with Turkish natural gas pipeline system |
565 Bcf in first stage, eventually rising to 1.1 Tcf/year |
1,020 miles |
$2 billion to $3 billion |
Project stalled; negotiations between Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan over pipeline volumes restarted in October 2001. |
Korpezhe-Kurt-Kui |
Korpezhe (Turkmenistan) to Kurt-Kui (Iran) |
283-350 Bcf/year; expansion proposed to 459 Bcf/year by 2005 |
124 miles |
$190 million; 2005 expansion: $300 million to $400 million |
Operational since December 1997. |
Table 6. Bosporus Bypass Oil Export Routes
(for Oil Transiting the Black Sea)
Name/Location |
Route |
Crude Capacity |
Length |
Estimated Cost/Investment |
Status |
Adria-Druzhba Integration |
Russian Druzhba export pipeline connected to Adria pipeline (flows reversed) to terminus at Omisalj (Croatia) |
100,000 bbl/d in first full year of operation; increasing to 300,000 bbl/d |
1,987 miles in total |
$20 million to modernize Adria, integrate the pipelines, and reverse existing flows |
Yukos expects exports from Omisalj via the integrated pipeline system to start by end-2002. |
Albanian Macedonian Bulgarian Oil (AMBO) Pipeline |
Burgas (Bulgaria) via Macedonia to Vlore (Albania) on Adriatic coast |
750,000 bbl/d (could be expanded to 1-million bbl/d) |
560 miles |
$850 million to $1.1 billion |
Construction delayed, (proposed 2001-2002) as financing is arranged. Completion originally targeted for 2004-2005. |
Burgas Alexandropoulis (Trans-Balkan Oil Pipeline) |
Burgas to Alexandropoulis (Greece) on the Aegean Seacoast |
Proposed 600,000 bbl/d to 800,000 bbl/d |
178 miles |
$600 million |
Initial agreement signed in 1997 between Bulgaria, Greece, and Russia. Project delayed. |
Constanta-Trieste Pipeline |
Constanta (Romania) via Hungary, Slovenia, and/or Croatia to Trieste (Italy) on the Adriatic Sea coast. Omisalj (Croatia) has also been proposed as a terminus. |
660,000 bbl/d |
855 miles |
$900 million |
Feasibility studies completed; financing still to be arranged. |
South-East European Line (SEEL) |
Constanta via Pancevo (Yugoslavia) and Omisalj to Trieste. Omisalj has also been proposed as a terminus. |
660,000 bbl/d |
750 miles |
$800 million |
Feasibility studies completed; financing still to be arranged. |
Odesa-Brody Pipeline |
Odesa (Ukraine) to Brody (Ukraine), linking to the southern Druzhba pipeline; optional
spurs to the northern
Druzhba line at Plotsk (Poland) and/or to Gdansk on the Baltic Sea coast. |
500,000 bbl/d |
400 miles from Odesa to Brody |
$750 million for pipeline and Pivdenny terminal |
Construction on pipeline completed in August 2001; Pivdenny terminal became operational in December 2001. Ukraine is seeking to sign contracts with Caspian oil exporters to fill the line. |
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