Customer Reviews

Caspian Pipelines (Former Soviet South Project)

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Although out of print - this is worth at last a read if not a purchase of a second hand copy. Originally written in 1996 - this is one of the first publications to focus soley on the issue of pipeline direction in the Caspian Region. As such it covers number of areas that are now 'lost' to more recent books and articles. For example the chapter on Kazak oil provides a good albeit brief background to the involvement of John Duess and the Omani government in the initial discussion for the CPC - Caspian Pipeline Company. The publication comes from the Royal Institute of Affairs in London - and it is worth seeking to obtain other related puplications from the RIIA - but don't bother contacting them - get it through a bookshop that actually wants to sell you a book.

Divided into 7 chapters including the Introduction and Conclusion and at a very brief length of 84 pages you could be mistaken that it is light but there is substance in there. If you did not know there are 2 "factors" in energy reserve exploration in the Caspian region - the first is Oil and Natural Gas - and the second is the similarility for pipelines to traverse other countries for export. Although not a great issue for Gas - it is very important for Oil. Roberts addresses the role of Oil in Kazakstan and Azerbaijan in individual chapters and then looks at common problems in the following chapter - such as the invisible pipeline. A chapter is also devouted to Turkmenistan and its enormous gas deposits that are going nowhere fast.

Roberts addresses the then (1996) main export pipeline routes being discussed and this is important if you are to understand both the fluidity and the stagnation of energy reserve exploration and extraction the region. Until very reccently very little flowed out of the region. But that is begining to change.

Of course pipeline direction is the crux of the matter and every country surrounding these exporting states want them to cross their own territory for both revenue and for influence. Therein lies the heart of the matter of Caspian pipelines.

As it was written a number of years ago it is worth reading it to see just how slow and how little - in someplaces - progress has be made in trying to export oil and gas. It still a good read but it is dated but as I said it provides some information that is not written elsewhere.

properties of a gas pipeline in Kafka