BP Exploration finalizes transition of SCPC technical operatorship to SOCAR Midstream Operations Limited

By Trend

The process of transition of the technical operatorship of the South Caucasus Pipeline Company (SCPC) from BP Exploration (Shah Deniz) Limited to SOCAR Midstream Operations LLC was finalized on August 1, 2021, the State Oil Company of Azerbaijan SOCAR told Trend on August 2.

SCP is one of the four segments of the Southern Gas Corridor, designated to export natural gas from Azerbaijan via Georgia to Turkey and Europe. SOCAR Midstream Operations LLC is a fully owned subsidiary of SOCAR.

“The transfer of technical operatorship was carried out in fulfilment of the obligations undertook in the revised SCPC Pipeline Owners’ Agreement, signed in December 2013 as part of the Final Investment Decision on the Shah Deniz Stage 2 and South Caucasus Pipeline Expansion (SCPX) projects,” the message said. “The SCPX construction was completed in March 2019.”

“A year after, in March 2020 SOCAR Midstream Operations LLC officially became the Technical Operator of SCPC with agreed transition period,” the message said. “Despite the challenges caused by the COVID-19 bp and SOCAR have worked in close collaboration to effectively implement all the aspects of the transition process.”

“After six years of successful commercial operatorship of the South Caucasus Pipeline Company SOCAR now takes over the technical operatorship of SCPC,” Rovnag Abdullayev, President of SOCAR, said. “This is yet another tremendous achievement for the Azerbaijani state company to operate the international gas pipeline. SCP is one of the key sections of the Southern Gas Corridor.”

“We would like to thank bp once again for their excellent partnership and operatorship in all the segments of the Southern Gas Corridor,” Abdullayev said.

“We are proud to undertake the role of technical operatorship of the SCP system,” Fuad Ahmadov, Executive Director of SOCAR Midstream Operations Limited, said. “As the successor Technical Operator, we will continue working closely with bp and all the partners to sustain the high level of safety, efficiency, environmental and social performance SCPC has reached under bp’s operatorship.”

“We are sure that working together we will bring significant benefits to the host countries, shareholders, employees and neighbouring communities,” Ahmadov said.

“As the biggest shareholder in Shah Deniz and SCPC, we remain committed to working closely with SOCAR in support of their new responsibility and we wish them a tremendous success,” Gary Jones, bp’s regional president for Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey, said.

SCP has been operating since late 2006. The commercial supplies via the extended section of the pipeline to Turkey were launched in June 2018 while to Europe in December 2020.

The shareholders of SCP Co. are bp (28.8 percent), TPAO (19.0 percent), PETRONAS (15.5 percent), AzSCP (10.0 percent), NICO (10.0 percent), LUKOIL (10.0 percent) and SGC Midstream (6.7 percent).