The Audit project has been realized with financial support of OSI-AF
8
1.3 Project Criteria
These criteria were defined in 2 directions:
1. Commitments on the Cultural Heritage Protection Management Plan;
2. Other internal instructions, reports and rules on the Cultural Heritage Protection
Management Plan;
About the first direction we have to say that 37 (2.3%) out of 1578 commitments in the
Cultural Heritage Protection Management Plan are devoted to the Cultural Heritage
Management.
At the beginning the project has being implemented in accordance with timetable. But
during the next months (December-January) some delays emerged as the main
archeologists of the SCP temporarily left Azerbaijan. As a result of this some planned
tasks were not implemented (for example, planned site visits to Tovuz and Ashagi-
ayibly regions).
1.4 Auditee Details
Seven Financial stockholders of the SCP Co and their portions:
BP (technical operator – 25.5%);
Statoil (commercial operator – 25.5%);
SOCAR (10%);
LukAgip (10%);
NIKO (10%);
Total (10%);
TPAO (9%).
CCIC is a contractor and The Ministry of Culture of Azerbaijan Republic and Institute of
Archaeology and Ethnography of Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences are
national partners of SCP.
The contractor of the BTC/SCP project in the area of Azerbaijan is CCIC and Spie
Capag/Petrofac. CCIC was involved in construction of the pipeline.
Environmental Manager of the Contractor Company conducted control over
Archeological works. The company did not have special archeologist for this.
National partner ANAS Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography was one of the most
best and prestigious Institutions in the field of Archaeology and Ethnography. Some
locally and internationally famous scientists are employees of this Institution. More than
30 employees of the Institute were involved in the project.
The oldest archeological field found along the pipeline route was found in the Boyuk
Kesik community of Agstafa region. It is more than 6500 years old and belongs to
Eneolit period. It proves existence of cultural relationship between Azerbaijan and
Mesopotamia. Researches resulted with discovery of the oldest eneolit kurgan
(khalcolid) in Caucasus in the territory of Azerbaijan. Some kurgans, necropolis
belonging to the period of 3500-2800 year BC, graves and residences belonging to
antique period were also found during the construction phase.
BTC and SCP Co representatives, taking control over the task implementation were an
environmental manager, an archeologist of the company, an environmental supervisor
and a specialist on relations with community.
The Audit project has been realized with financial support of OSI-AF
9
1.5. General Information about the Pipeline Project and Introduction to Audit
SCP. The Pipeline was constructed to transport gas exploited from Shah Deniz gas
field to borders of Turkey passing through the territory of Azerbaijan and Georgia. The
main aim of parallel construction of SCP to Baku-Tbilisi-Jeyhan (BTC) oil pipeline is to
minimize capital and exploitation costs and influence to environmental and social
sphere. The investment stockholders of SCP are the same with PSA.
Length – 690 км (Azerbaijan 442 км, Georgia-248 км);
Diameter – 42 foot;
Capacity of Stage 1 -7.7 (~billion cube meter \year)
Total capacity 20 (billion cube meter/year);
Total investment 950 million. USD;
Construction beginning date: 3
rd
quarter of 2004;
Planned deadline: 4
th
quarter 2005 (but exploitation will be in the second part of
2006);
Expenses for Environmental Protection (Azerbaijan – 4 million. USD, Georgia- 4
million USD);
The number of employees working in the construction process-4200 person
(Azerbaijan and Georgia);
Technical operator-BP;
Financial operator-Statoil.
To reduce an influence on environment and to elaborate damage to potential
archeological findings BTC/SCP has developed the ESIA, and prepared management
mechanism of archeological findings. Along with known archeological fields, potential
field also were predicted in this documents. New researches were fulfilled in these
areas. In some fields these researches were expanded and there were some suspends
in the project which was due to commitments.
Understanding and adequately assessing the value of cultural heritage of Azerbaijan, its
role in the region BTC/SCP involved international experts from Great Britain and United
States. Some archeological findings of local and international importance were detected
as a result of hard work of Azerbaijani scientists. During the initial archeological
research period in 2001-2002 about 80 archeological fields had been discovered. 16
fields were checked to assess archeological importance of these fields. 4 fields were
accepted as of archeological importance.
Archeological findings have worldwide significance and their protection has high
heritable importance. Respect for them is a sign of humanism of not only citizens of the
country, but also humanity and civilization. So management of archeological findings
during construction-engineering activity is very important and the steps taken in this
direction by BTC/SCP and OSI-AF is very valuable.