Ilham Shaban: SOCAR preparing to apply experience gained in foreign markets in local market

The State Oil Company of Azerbaijan (SOCAR) is preparing to apply the experience gained in foreign markets in the management of enterprises in the local market, head of the Center for Petroleum Research, energy expert Ilham Shaban told Report.

He said that the process of transferring a number of enterprises operating in the oil and gas processing and petrochemical industries to SOCAR Downstream Management is aimed, on the one hand, at ensuring a stable supply of raw materials to all production enterprises, and on the other hand, at increasing the competitiveness of products.

The expert notes that SOCAR intends to unite producers of raw materials and semi-finished products under a single management: “Looking back at the previous experience, when each enterprise operated separately, we can see that it was not possible to achieve the set goals. For example, the Baku oil refinery named after Heydar Aliyev is stopped for repairs or there are interruptions in its work. It cannot produce enough naphtha for Azerikimya or SOCAR Polymer. As a result, production at these plants either stops or falls. Or they may be forced to import products.”

Shaban believes that the unified management system is designed to create sufficient reserves and ensure the stability of the production process at the enterprises, as well as deliveries to customers.

SOCAR has launched the process of transferring enterprises operating in the oil and gas processing and petrochemical industries to the SOCAR Downstream Management. These are the Azerikimya Production Association, Carbamide Plant, Methanol Plant, SOCAR Polymer, and a gas processing plant.