Azernews.Az

By Gulgiz Dadashova

Azerbaijan's energy giant SOCAR intends to start a project on constructing small automatic gas stations.

Construction of the first SOCAR-branded small gas stations, which work without an operator, may start in Baku in 2014, a source at SOCAR told Trend Agency.

Work is currently underway on designing seven or eight automatic mini gas stations, the source said.

Automatic mini gas stations have many advantages since they are built in small areas, which lower the expenditure on construction and installation work compared to traditional gas stations. They allow for the release of fuel without an operator, and the refueling and payment processes are carried out automatically which ultimately leads to an increase in capacity when refueling.

The source also said starting the construction of a new automatic gas station near the village of Bayil in Baku will start in the near future. The site of the new gas station has already been decided, and the execution process is underway.

The company doesn't plan to start the construction of the SOCAR-branded automatic gas stations in the country's regions this year.

About 16 SOCAR automatic gas stations currently operate in Azerbaijan; two are located in the country's northern area and the others are in Baku.

SOCAR is the only producer of oil products and has two refineries on its balance sheet. SOCAR already owns several gas stations in Azerbaijan, Switzerland, Georgia, Romania, and Ukraine.