Alternative oil supplies to make up to 20% of Belarus oil import in 2010

Belarus is considering the possibility of using alternative oil supplies to provide up to 20% of the national oil import in 2010. Corresponding diversifications of energy supplies have been provided by the state programme for modernising the basic production facilities of the Belarusian power grid, energy saving and raising the share of local fuels in the total consumption by 2011. The information was released by the Energy Ministry. Specialists say, at present the system of providing Belarusian oil refineries with oil is designed to get oil from Russia both by using the Druzhba pipeline and the Surgut-Polotsk oil pipeline. As alternatives Belarus may use Baltic Sea ports (Ventspils, Butinge, and Klaipeda) and Black Sea ports (Odessa) to import oil from the North Sea (England, Norway), the Persian Gulf (Near East and Middle East), Central Asia and the Caspian Sea (Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan). In particular, the northern variant requires pumping oil from Ventspils. A 6km pipe would have to be replaced, an oil pumping station would have to be built, with an oil metering system installed, the technological schemes of intermediary pumping stations would be changed and an oil tank installation with the capacity of 100-150 thousand cubic metres would have to be built. The necessary investments the project envisages are estimated at some $40 million. The southern variant offers several ways. A combined oil delivery may be used by pumping oil through the Odessa-Brody trunk pipeline, then using transhipment of oil into railway tanks in Brody and delivering the oil by railroad. Alternative ways also suggest building a connection Bobovichi-Kostyukovichi at the existing trunk oil pipeline or building a pipeline with three oil transfer pumping stations and restoring the oil pumping station Kostyukovichi. Besides, Belarus may use the oil pipeline Baku-Supsa as well as oil-loading terminals that Kazakhstan bought in Georgia and Ukraine. It would allow delivering Kazakhstan oil to Belarus, including delivering oil by railroad via Ukraine. By 2010 these solutions can be used to provide up to 20% of the oil consumed by Belarusian oil refineries. Belarus will also continue working on projects for participating in exploring oil fields and extracting oil in Venezuela, Iran and Azerbaijan.