AMBO pipeline
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This article or section contains information about a planned or proposed pipeline. It may contain information of a speculative nature and the content may change as the construction and/or completion of the pipeline approaches, and more information becomes available. |
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AMBO pipeline is a planned oil pipeline from Bulgarian Black Sea port Burgas via the Republic of Macedonia to Albanian Adriatic port Vlore.
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[edit] History
The pipeline was proposed already in 1993. On 27 December 2004, prime-ministers of Albania, the Republic of Macedonia and Bulgaria signed the latest political declaration, followed by the memorandum of understanding between representatives of Albania, the Republic of Macedonia and Bulgaria and Ted Ferguson, the president & CEO of AMBO.[1] On 30 October 2006, Albania and the Republic of Macedonia signed a protocol to determinate the entrance points of the pipeline. The entrance point will be Stebleve village in Albania and Lakaica village in the Republic of Macedonia. A similar protocol between Bulgaria and the Republic of Macedonia was signed later in 2006.
On 31 January 2007, the Republic of Macedonia, Bulgaria and Albania signed a trilateral convention on the construction of the Balkan pipeline AMBO. This document has been ratified by the Parliaments of all three countries and governs the construction, operation, and maintenance of the pipelines.[2]
[edit] Description of the pipeline
The aim of the 894 kilometres (556 mi) long trans-Balkan pipeline is to bypass Turkish straits in transportation of Russian and Caspian oil. The pipeline is expected to cost about US$1.5 billion and it will transport 750,000 barrels (119 t) of oil per day.[3] There will be four pump stations, two in Bulgaria and one each in the Republic of Macedonia and Albania, constructed along the route. A pre-front-end engineering and design study (FEED) will be prepared by KBR.
Environmental studies to be conducted and construction licenses need to be obtained, allowing work to commence in late 2008. The pipeline is expected to be operational by 2011.[4]
[edit] Project company
The pipeline is planned to be built and operated by the US-registered Albanian Macedonian Bulgarian Oil Corporation (AMBO). The project is backed by the US government, who financed a feasibility study of pipeline.[5]
[edit] Alternative projects
Other pipeline projects (which do not compete with AMBO since they serve entirely different markets) are the Burgas-Alexandroupoli pipeline from Burgas to Greece Aegean port Alexandroupoli, and the Pan-European Pipeline from Constanţa in Romania to Trieste in Italy. There is also the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline. Compared with Burgas-Alexandroupoli pipeline, the AMBO pipeline is longer and more expensive, but at the same time Vlore (which is a sheltered, deep-water, all-weather port) could accommodate larger tankers and is more accessible than Alexandroupoli.[6] Also, an oil spill in the Aegean would have a negative influence on Greece’s tourism industry.[7]
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ "Go-ahead for Balkan oil pipeline", BBC, 2004-12-28. Retrieved on 2008-04-05.
- ^ Marina Stojanovska. "AMBO pipeline deal clears another hurdle", Southeast European Times, 2007-02-14. Retrieved on 2008-04-05.
- ^ Barry Wood. "Balkan Oil Pipeline Agreement Moves Project Closer to Reality", Voice of America, 2004-12-30. Retrieved on 2008-04-05.
- ^ Alkman Granitsas. "Official: Trans-Balkan Pipeline to Begin Ops by 2011", Downstream Today, 2007-04-26. Retrieved on 2008-04-05.
- ^ "AMBO Pipeline Moves Forward: Interview with Gligor Tashkovich", Balkananalysis.com, 2005-01-09. Retrieved on 2008-04-05.
- ^ Alfred John Mendes. "Balkans Crisis supports US Corporate Interests", Centre for Research on Globalisation, 2003-07-29. Retrieved on 2008-04-05.
- ^ "AMBO Trans-Balkan Pipeline Agreement Finally Signed", Balkananalysis.com, 2004-12-29. Retrieved on 2008-04-05.
