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Russia / Georgia conflict sounds alarm bells at threat to vital link in the energy chain
The conflict erupting in the Caucasus has set alarm bells ringing for many reasons, not least Georgia's pivotal role in the supply of Central Asian oil to the West. While it has no significant oil or gas reserves of its own, Georgia is a key transit point for oil from the Caspian region destined for Europe and the United States. Crucially, it is the only practical route from this increasingly important producer region that avoids both Russia and Iran. The 1,770-kilometre (1,100mile) Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) pipeline, which cost $3 billion (£1.55 billion) to build and was partly underwritten by British taxpayers, entered full service last year. It is the world's second-longest oil pipeline and pumps about a million barrels a day from Baku, on the coast of the Caspian Sea in Azerbaijan, to Yumurtalik, on Turkey's Mediterranean coast, where it is loaded on to supertankers. The route also avoids the congested Bosphorus shipping lane. Tell me when Russia ever gave a damn about its citizens. Now tell me when Russia only cared for its self intrests. Namely Oil. Posted by: Full Bosomed1072 2008-08-09 |
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