AMBO pipeline
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AMBO pipeline is a planned oil pipeline from Bulgarian Black Sea port Burgas via Macedonia to Albanian Adriatic port Vlore. The aim of the 894 kilometer long trans-Balkan pipeline is to bypass Turkish straits in transportation of Russian and Caspian oil. The pipeline is expected to cost 1.2 billion USD and it will transport 750,000 barrels of oil per day.[1] There will be four pump stations, two in Bulgaria and one each in Macedonia and Albania, constructed along the route.
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.[2]
The pipeline was proposed already in 1994. However, the initiative between the presidents of Albania, Macedonia and Bulgaria was signed only in July 2003. On 27 December 2004, prime-ministers of Albania, Macedonia and Bulgaria signed a political declaration, followed by the memorandum of understanding between representatives of Albania, Macedonia and Bulgaria and Ted Ferguson, the president of AMBO.[3] On 30 October 2006, Albania and 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 Macedonia. Similar protocol between Bulgaria and Macedonia was signed later in 2006.
On 31 January 2007, Macedonia, Bulgaria and Albania signed a trilateral convention on the construction of the Balkan pipeline AMBO. Environmental studies are being conducted and construction licenses need to be obtained, allowing work to commence late 2008.[4]
Competing projects to the AMBO pipeline 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. For Caspian oil, it competes also with Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline. Compared with Burgas-Alexandroupoli pipeline, the AMBO pipeline is longer and more expensive, but at the same time Vlore could accommodate larger tankers and is more accessible than Alexandroupoli.[5] Also, an oil spill in the Aegean would have hard influence Greece’s tourism industry.[6] However, the main oil exporter Russia is preferring the Burgas-Alexandroupoli option as the shortest and cheapest.
[edit] See Also
[edit] References
- ^ Balkan Oil Pipeline Agreement Moves Project Closer to Reality, by Barry Wood, Voice of America. 30 December 2004
- ^ AMBO Pipeline Moves Forward: Interview with Gligor Tashkovich, by Balcananalysis.com. 9 January 2005
- ^ Go-ahead for Balkan oil pipeline, by BBC. 28 December 2004
- ^ AMBO pipeline clears another hurdle, by Southeast European Times. 14 February 2007
- ^ Balkans Crisis supports US Corporate Interests, by Alfred John Mendes, Centre for Research on Globalisation. 29 July 2003
- ^ AMBO Trans-Balkan Pipeline Agreement Finally Signed, by Balcananalysis.com. 29 December 2004
