Atlantic Council

On January 26, the Dinu Patriciu Eurasia Center held a discussion with BP Azerbaijan's Vice President for Shah Deniz Development Al Cook on realizing gas from Azerbaijan’s Shah Deniz project, on which critical decisions and developments are expected in coming months. The event provided an opportunity to assess project plans, consider how they relate to Azerbaijan’s priorities, review issues related to the roles of Turkey, the European Union and other key regional players, and talk about Shah Deniz issues that pertain directly to the United States. Eurasia Center Director Ambassador Ross Wilson moderated the discussion.

The Caspian Basin is one of the 21st century’s most important new sources of hydrocarbons. The realization of large-scale oil exports from Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan in the late 1990s owed itself in part to effective diplomacy by the United States with the regional players, as well as bold decision-making by key international oil companies. In recent years, attention has turned to natural gas – the growing need for alternative sources of gas, as well as the pipeline infrastructure challenge of moving that gas to market. Azerbaijan’s Shah Deniz project is widely regarded as the next large-scale source of gas for a major new pipeline system to Europe.

Al Cook is the Vice President for Shah Deniz Development of BP Azerbaijan, responsible for the integration of the 20 billion dollar gas project including construction of off-shore facilities, expansion of the Sangachal terminal and the South Caucus pipeline system as well as the marketing of Shah Deniz gas in Europe. At BP, he has served in a number of major project development and commercial role including the North Sea, Gulf of Mexico and most recently in Vietnam.