OREANDA-NEWS.  The State Oil Company of Azerbaijan (SOCAR) has secured the World Bank’s support for the initiative on an independent audit of emissions and flaring at BP-managed platforms, primarily on Azeri-Chirag-Gunashli oil-field block.

SOCAR vice president for ecology and environment protection Rafiqa Huseynzade has applied today directly to the World Bank for support of its initiative within partnership GGFR (Global Gas Flaring Reduction Partnership).

“BP Azerbaijan, as the technical operator of Azeri-Chirag-Gunashli, provides to us its assessment of measures aimed at reducing emissions and gas flaring, which do not suit us. According to our data, 700,000 cu m of gas is flared daily on BP-run objects - this includes platforms on Azeri-Chirag-Gunashli and Sangachal terminal, which does not work normally. This is not a normal level, which is not good," Huseynzadeh said.

Without taking into account the terminal, the daily flaring of gas by BP totals 400,000 cu m.

"At that, BP ignores our proposals for independent flaring assessment and adequacy of environmental measures. We offer BP to hire specialists, who had relation neither to SOCAR nor BP. But BP refuses from this initiative, saying that it has its own specialists. Already today I will raise a question of the need to hire an independent firm to conduct assessments to SOCAR president Rovnag Abdullayev, and I hope that he will support the initiative and officially put it in front of Gordon Birrell, president of BP Azerbaijan,” Huseynzadeh said.

She believes that the refusal to draw independent experts is part of BP’s global policy.

"We also expect that WB, as our partner on GGFR, will support our initiative and will hire a strong independent company to conduct assessments," Huseyzadeh said.

WB representative in Azerbaijan Larisa Leshchenko declared Bank’s readiness to support the SOCAR initiative.