Minister: Georgia Receives Shah-Deniz Gas

Georgia began to receive gas from Azerbaijan?s massive Shah-Deniz field on January 15, Georgian Energy Minister Nika Gilauri said.

The launch of Shah-Deniz gas flow through the South Caucasus Gas Pipeline, which links Baku with the Turkish town of Erzrum via Georgia, was originally scheduled for mid-December but, according to Georgian officials, was delayed due to technical problems at one of the drilling wells.

?Yesterday we were informed from the Azerbaijani side that the technical problems have been fixed and today at about 11 am [local Tbilisi time] we started to receive the first flow of gas from Shah-Deniz,? Energy Minister Nika Gilauri told reporters on January 15.

Georgia, according to the original agreement, will receive 250 million cubic meters from Azerbaijan’s Shah-Deniz field ? 200 million of which is a transit fee, with the additional 50 million to be bought at a preferential price in 2007.

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