I am posting a link to an earlier thread that meshes with this one .

Energy crisis hits oil-rich Azerbaijan

BAKU  An unusual fuel oil shortage in this oil-rich nation has crippled Azerbaijan's electricity plants and threatens a nationwide blackout, television reports said.

The shortage, which has depleted reserves at some plants to as little as five hours' worth of fuel, was blamed on theft by corrupt energy sector bureaucrats. Oil exports through the Russian port of Novorossisk have been temporarily suspended, the report said.

While many parts of the former Soviet Union suffer fuel shortages and blackouts, Azerbaijan has been largely exempt because the country sits on huge oil reserves and exports million of barrels a year from the Caspian Sea region.

Oil is so plentiful around the Azerbaijani capital Baku that it once gurgled to the surface without needing to drill wells. The country is to contribute oil to a new, major pipeline through Georgia and Turkey, and oil company executives have referred to the region as a second Persian Gulf.

President Heidar Aliev called an emergency meeting with energy officials Thursday and lit into them, saying the crisis follows embezzlement and corruption by senior officials. He fired the president of the country's national gas company, Azergas, and a deputy chief of the electricity grid.

Aliev also decreed energy saving measures of switching off streetlights and shop window display lights. National television stations have begun working shorter hours. The austerity measures were expected to last five days.

Mail Ragimov, Aliev's economic aide, said that 150,000 metric tons (44 million gallons) of oil would be purchased from Turkmenistan for processing into fuel as soon as possible.

Link:

http://www.russiajournal.com/start/regions/article.cgi?ind=2209

link to earlier thread more info on same topic:

http://hv.greenspun.com/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg.tcl?msg_id=002T7K

-- Carl Jenkins (Somewherepress@aol.com), February 01, 2000

Answers

So what did I miss?

Why buy if they make the stuff? Especially if
"up from the groung comes a bubblin' crude"?

-- pliney the younger (pliney@puget.sound), February 01, 2000.

I agree with pliney, why not build a refinery a little closer to home?

-- Michael (michaelteever@buffalo.com), February 01, 2000.