Baku Tbilisi Ceyhan (BTC)
Oil Export Pipeline
Overview
Baku-Tbilisi Ceyhan (BTC) pipeline carries oil from the Azeri-Chirag-Deepwater Gunashli (ACG) field and condensate from Shah Deniz across Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey. In addition, crude oil from Turkmenistan continues to be transported via the pipeline and starting from October 2013, Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline company (BTC Co) has also resumed transportation of some volumes of Tengiz crude oil from Kazakhstan through the BTC pipeline. BTC pipeline links Sangachal terminal on the shores of the Caspian Sea to Ceyhan marine terminal on the Turkish Mediterranean coast. Intensive works have been accomplished for implementation of Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan Main Export Pipeline project which is of strategic importance for the whole Caspian region.
The BTC pipeline allows transportation of increasing volumes of oil produced in the region to world markets, supports development of wide-ranging international economic cooperation and long term interests of Azerbaijan in this sphere. On November 18 in 1999 during the OSCE’s Istanbul meeting the Presidents of the Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey signed the agreement on “Transportation of Crude Oil Through the Territories of Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey via Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan Main Export Pipeline”. The pipeline that became operational in June 2006 was built by the BTC Co, operated by BP.
Partners
 BP30.1% |  SOCAR (Azerbaijan BTC)25% |
 Chevron8.9% |  Statoil8.71% |
 TPAO6.53% |  Total5% |
 Eni5% |  Itochu3.4% |
 ExxonMobil2.5% |  Inpex2.5% |
 ONGC2.36% |
Technical parameters
Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan Pipeline (BTC) transports crude oil from Caspian Sea across Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey to the Mediterranean Sea Ceyhan Marine Terminal in Turkey and further shipped via tankers to world market. The Azerbaijan and Georgia sections of the pipeline are operated by BP on behalf of its shareholders in BTC Co. while the Turkish section is operated by BOTAS International Limited (BIL). The length of pipeline 1768 km and the diameter is 42” throughout most of Azerbaijan and Turkey. In Georgia the pipeline diameter is 46”.
The pipeline diameter reduces to 34” for the last downhill section to the Ceyhan Marine Terminal. BTC throughput capacity is one million barrels per day. The First Oil reached Ceyhan Marine terminal on 28 May 2006. The BTC pipeline facilities include: Eight Pump Stations (two in Azerbaijan, two in Georgia, four in Turkey), one Pressure Reduction station in Turkey, two intermediate pigging stations (one in Azerbaijan, one in Georgia), 101 block valves (22 in Azerbaijan, 27 in Georgia, 52 in Turkey) and Ceyhan Marine Terminal.
Timeline
