Azernews.Az

By Sara Rajabova

Energy giant BP, the operator of major oil and gas projects in Azerbaijan, has rigorous processes and procedures for health, safety and environment that are carried out in line with international standards, the company said on Tuesday.

The statement comes after the reports circulating that Iran would sue BP in case of what it calls continued pollution of the resource-rich Caspian Sea.

Development of the Azeri-Chirag-Guneshli block of oil fields and Shah Deniz gas condensate field are major oil and gas production projects in the Azerbaijani sector of the Caspian operated by BP.

"We are a responsible operator in the Caspian and as such we have rigorous HSE (Health, Safety, Environment) processes and procedures in place in line with international standards, including Environmental Impact Assessment of all implemented projects, robust operational and ambient environmental monitoring programmes, preventive measures and control measures including oil spill response plans," the company said. "We also have jointly agreed processes in place regulating our reporting to the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources and other regulatory bodies and notifying relevant authorities about any unplanned material releases. We closely work with the government to continuously improve reliability of our operations and ensure environmental safety. We are committed to continuing this practice in the future."

In recent days, Iranian officials have made statements on the possibility of lawsuits due to Azerbaijan's allegedly causing oil pollution in the Caspian.

Abdolreza Karbasi, the deputy head of Iran's Department of Environment, said that Iran would lodge a complaint if BP continued polluting the Caspian Sea.

BP operates within a number of legal entities in Azerbaijan, reflecting its evolution in the country and the region since 1992.