The international energy economy depends on the reliable operation of oil and gas pipeline networks; in many parts of the world, these pipelines are the arteries that bring energy supplies from wellhead to market.
This is a particularly sensitive issue in Eurasia, where oil and gas supplies often cross multiple national boundaries and jurisdictions on their way from producer to consumer.
The present study - the first of its kind - concentrates on two key issues that can affect the reliability of oil transportation by pipeline: rules on acces to pipelines and the disciplines regarding tariffs. It reviews the arrangements in these areas for the main cross-border oil pipelines in Eurasia, and assesses the consistency of oil transit tariffs and tariff methodologies with the provisions and principles of the Energy Charter. This complements a similar report on gas transit tariffs, completed by the Charter in 2006. These reports are part of the initiative by the Energy Charter Secretariat to enhance transparency on existing and future oil and gas transit arrangements across Eurasia.
The publication"From Wellhead to Market: Oil Pipeline Tariffs and Tariff Methodologies in Selected Energy Charter Member Countries (2007)" is available in English and Russian.