As part of his official visit to Azerbaijan, Prime Minister of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia Abiy Ahmed Ali have today visited the Sangachal oil terminal on Friday, Report informs.
The tour of the terminal commenced at the Caspian Energy Center, a facility distinguished by its unique status in the Caspian region. They were informed that Centre, which fully reflects the history of Azerbaijan"s oil and gas industry, widely promotes the country"s role in the world"s oil and gas industry. The Caspian Energy Centre was inaugurated in a ceremony attended by President Ilham Aliyev, senior officials from the USA, the UK, Georgia and Kazakhstan in 2005. The opening of the centre coincided with the commissioning of the Azerbaijani section of the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan main oil export pipeline. During the inauguration ceremony, the guests left their handprints, which became a symbol of the Caspian Energy Centre.
Abiy Ahmed Ali was informed about the landmarks of Azerbaijan"s oil history. They were informed that the oil wells drilled in 1846 at Bibiheybat in the Baku region were the first mechanically-drilled oil wells in the world.
After Azerbaijan regained its independence, under the leadership of Heydar Aliyev, a production sharing agreement on the development of the gigantic "Azeri-Chirag-Gunashli" field, touted as the Contract of the Century, was signed with the participation of international oil companies. The contract gave a major impetus to the rapid development of the country, transforming it into a regional energy hub.
The Ethiopian delegation also reviewed samples of oil produced in different fields.
Afterwards, a video about Azerbaijan"s oil history and the Southern Gas Corridor was screened.
Abiy Ahmed Ali then was presented with keepsakes.
While touring the terminal, the Ethiopian guests were given detailed information about the technological processes at the terminal.
They were informed that the Sangachal Terminal was considered "the beating heart" of Azerbaijan"s oil and gas industry. It is an oil and gas terminal where crude oil and gas produced from Azerbaijani fields in the Caspian Sea are received, processed, stored and exported. Oil from Azeri-Chirag-Gunashli and gas from Shah-Deniz fields flow into the terminal and are exported largely via the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan and the Southern Caucasus pipelines.