Nikolai Tokarev, CEO of the government-run group, said tanker loading from the lines could still take place at both Alexandroupolis, for the Bulgarian-Greek pipeline, and Ceyhan for the Turkish pipeline.
Confounding recent statements from Russian officials about their preference for the eastern shore pipeline from Samsun to Ceyhan, a statement from Tokarev said there remained a “real prospect” of associating the two schemes.
The three government-run companies committed to the Burgas-Alexandroupolis project are Transneft and oil producers Rosneft and Gazpromneft.
But Rosneft has signalled that it is ready to switch to the Samsun-Ceyhan alternative. Its planned capacity would be 1.5M barrels per day; the other plan for 675,000 b/d.
Tokarev’s statement was viewed with scepticism in Moscow, where industry sources expressed suspicion that he might be trying to shift the blame for a routing switch away from the Kremlin – and toward Bulgaria’s government.
IHS Global Insight noted that the Transneft remarks “conspicuously” left out Bulgaria, which has frustrated the Russian group by reviewing its co-operation with Russia on a range energy projects.
“Bulgaria’s hesitation with regard to the Burgas-Alexandroupolis pipeline is believed to have played a role in spurring Transneft’s interest in Turkey’s previously stalled Samsun-Ceyhan pipeline, although Russia’s interest in securing Turkish support for the South Stream gas pipeline has also played a part,” Global Insight commented.