The Georgian Oil and Gas Corporation (GOGC) has launched an international tender to hire consultants for evaluating the future of the Baku-Supsa oil pipeline and its Black Sea terminal. The BP-led Azerbaijan International Operating Company (AIOC) has operated the pipeline since 1996, but with the lease nearing its end, GOGC is exploring next steps—and BP may not remain the operator.

Operations through the pipeline were suspended in 2022 due to the war in Ukraine and only partially resumed in 2023. In 2024, throughput dropped to just 1 million tons.

The selected consulting firm will prepare two key reports:

• Preliminary Analysis: Legal review, infrastructure assessment, market outlook, and cost-saving opportunities

• Strategic Scenarios: Options for future operations, risk analysis, and fallback strategies

The Baku-Supsa pipeline, commissioned in 1999, runs 830 km from Azerbaijan’s Chirag oil field to Georgia’s Supsa terminal, with 375 km crossing Georgian territory. It remains a critical part of Georgia’s role as a regional energy transit hub.