Market imposes its terms. This concerns also native oil-processing plants, receiving oil at world market prices. But, on the other hand, what is market? First of all, this is a competition. But as yet there is one production source, this category is conventional enough. This is a monopolism. And it is generally accepted in the whole world that people should fight with monopolists or at least strictly regulate their activity. Alas, it doesn’t depend on the customer. We do not have the possibility to influence the supplier’s policy. At least till he is an exclusive one. That is why the only rational way out of the situation is to search for the alternatives...The idea of diversification of oil supply pronounced several years ago many people met with an ironic smile. The arguments, in principle, were simple and therefore rather convincing. Any oil is farther than the Russian oil. Until it comes to Belarus it will cost very dearly. And it will have to be transported still by the same pipelines of Russian companies. It is not a fact that the pipes owners will meet the production of competing firms with open arms...
But these were not the first estimations of sceptics. The specialists have set about more valid calculations. And on the level of country administration has hummed a work on establishing of confidential relations with countries from oil-bearing regions.
Belarusian specialists working in Venezuela have carried out an oil exploration in the block “Junin–1”. The supposed stock of hydrocarbonic raw materials is confirmed. The exploration works are planned to be finished till the end of the year. “We suggest that at the beginning of the following year the certification of the block “Junin–1” should be carried out and then we will be able to make production plans”, — said recently the first vice– prime minister Vladimir semashko to the journalists. Belarusian–Venezuelan joint enterprise will be engaged in reserve development. Under the local legislation a foreign investor in similar projects can have not more than 40 percents of shares, and controlling interest — not less than 60 percents — should belong to National Oil Company of Venezuela. We are fully agree with such hands. The interest is not in the flatness of appropriation of the ownership right on riches of Venezuelan subsurface resources. The main orienting point here is an energetic safety of our country. And judging by the fact that in perspective JV will excavate till 10 million tons of oil per year, the contribution to this big matter will be appreciable.
One more promising information came from Azerbaijan where the government delegation headed by Prime-Minister Sergey Sidorskiy had worked. Oil from here will be transported in cisterns by a railway to Belarusian OPPs and will be processed for the next oil-products export. This is also a very prospective project.
Yes, the preparation to cooperation with both states took many years. Economic profits are to be great. But the main result here is not only a financial one. The projects mentioned convince that there are not unsolvable tasks. Whichever difficult its intention would seem, there are always variants of its realization in a working evaluation. It is necessary just to want to find. To have a will and patience for this.
Andrey Stepanov
