Baku News

17 April 2007 [11:06] - Reuters - BP Plc said on Monday reopening an oil pipeline from Baku to Supsa in Georgia, shut since last year, is not a high priority as supply rises from another export route. The Baku-Supsa line closed on Oct. 21 for 10 days for maintenance, but BP has said "anomalies" have forced its indefinite closure. It is boosting oil output at another line, Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan. "Routine checks discovered the anomalies," said BP spokesman Toby Odone. "We're working on the pipeline to make sure it lasts a long time. It's not a high priority because we've got BTC." BP has had problems on its Alaska pipelien, where corrosion caused a spill at the Prudhoe Bay oil field in 2006, putting its safety record under scrutiny. There was no leak at Baku-Supsa. The Baku-Supsa pipeline has been operating since 1999. Supply is rising to a record amount from the BP-led Baku-Ceyhan pipeline, which launched last year. BP is scheduled to pump about 703,000 bpd through BTC in May, the highest yet, according to trading sources. Earlier this month, BP said BTC had hit its full capacity of 1 million bpd.