EAOTC will be based on use and modernization of already existing infrastructure serving for the transport of oil. The only missing link of the future complete corridor is the section between the handling site in Brody (end point of the Odessa – Brody oil pipeline) and the tank farm in Adamowo (point of accession to the northern section of the “Przyjaźń” pipeline). The above locations will be connected by the Brody-Adamowo oil pipeline, the construction of which has been separated as a standalone project. Construction of the Brody-Adamowo oil pipeline will permit supplies of Caspian oil to begin flowing in the above-mentioned northern direction and commence full functioning of the EAOTC. The future oil pipeline will also become an important element of the European system of crude oil transportation, constituting a part of the North–South energy corridor and of the European oil transportation ring. Due to the great importance of this project, it was included into the list of Projects of Common Interest (PCI) of the European Union and into the list of priority projects of the European Energy Community.

The Project will be implemented in several stages, providing an opportunity to increase the supply of Caspian oil to European customers from several to up to 40 million tonnes of oil annually.

During the initial stage, oil extracted in Azerbaijan will flow through this corridor. It will also provide future possibility to supply crude oil to the European market from other countries of the region: Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan or even Iran.

International Pipeline Company “Sarmatia” sp. . z o.o. is the coordinator of the preparation and implementation of the EAOTC project, pursuant to the intergovernmental Agreement on the Cooperation in Energy, signed on October 11, 2007, in Vilnius, by the representatives of Azerbaijan, Georgia, Lithuania, Poland and Ukraine.

Objectives of the Project

The implementation of the EAOTC project will allow to:

• create an alternative, independent and stable route for the transportation of crude oil from the Caspian Sea region to Europe,
• supply European consumers with up to 40 million tonnes of high-quality Caspian crude oil per year, be conducive to the completion of development on the European market of this energy raw,
• enhance the energy security in the countries participating in the project and in the EU by diversifying the sources and routes of oil supply to consumers,
• increase the flexibility and reliability of the European oil transport system by constructing new infrastructure, having significance for preventing crisis situations,
• ensure the integration of the Ukrainian oil transport system with the Polish and European systems, supporting the enhancement of economic ties between the EU and the states participating in the Project,
• create conditions for further strengthening of the cooperation and partnership between the EU and the states which are the producers of crude oil in the Caspian Sea region.