CENN – SEPTEMBER 14, 2004 DAILY DIGEST
Table of Contents:
1. EIR-NOW! Implementing EIR: Please Read
2. Chanturia Discharged from GIOC
3. Energy Regulation Commission Refrains from Commenting on Possible
Corruption in Energy Tariff
4. UEDC Fails to Ensure Round-The Clock Energy Supply in Winter
5. Madneuli Receives Georgia’s First Gold
6. Vitol wins SOCAR Urals Tender
7. Vacancy Announcement — Administrative Assistant
1. EIR-NOW! IMPLEMENTING EIR: PLEASE READ
Dear All,
The Bank/IFC has proposed a meeting with civil society organizations
during the annual meetings. The proposed date would be either September
30 or October 1st. The agenda for the meeting would focus on
implementation issues, including the multistakeholder advisory group,
their process for developing new governance indicators, poverty
indicators and the developing a new energy strategy.
Do groups want to have this meeting? I have proposed that the meeting be
scheduled at a time, which could accommodate others, that may not be in
Washington, but could join by phone.
It would also be useful to take advantage of those of you that do plan
to come to Washington DC for the annual meetings, to have a
debrief/lessons learned discussion and some time together to think about
the next steps for the EIR.
My proposal then is that we have the NGO only strategy session/debrief
on EIR on September 30, and meet with the WBG the next day on October
1st. Does this work for people? Please give some feedback as soon as
possible so that we can confirm these meetings and times on the NGO
calendar.
Finally, Wolfensohn will be having his traditional meeting with NGOs by
videoconference next Tuesday, September 21st. NGOs in the Netherlands,
Brazil, Georgia, Nigeria and Japan will participate.
IF YOU ARE IN ONE OF THOSE COUNTRIES AND CAN PARTICIPATE, PLEASE GET IN
TOUCH WITH YOUR COUNTRY OFFICE AND REQUEST AN INVITATION.
It would be extremely useful if groups could raise implementation
questions with Wolfensohn directly.
For example, since the Bank is notorious for not implementing its
commitments well, it would be important to ask Wolfensohn if the
responsibilities for implementing the different aspects of their EIR
commitments have been delegated and to tell us how the lead points of
contact will be for both the IFC, the Bank and the regions. Also, does
he plan to spell out the plan and commitments to the Regional Vice
Presidents and Country Directors and hold them to implementing it as
well?
Also, what is his timeline for reviewing and revising the energy
strategy so that their energy lending is in line with their stated
mission to deliver energy services to the poor?
Those are some possible questions. Please let me know if you are in one
of those countries and will be able to join the meeting. It would be
very helpful if you could provide a report back to this list- EIR-NOW!:
[email protected]
All for now – please respond about the proposed meetings
E-mail: [email protected]
2. CHANTURIA DISCHARGED FROM GIOC
Source: Messenger, September 13, 2004
The post of president of the Georgian International Oil Corporation is
vacant after President Mikheil Saakashvili fired Gia Chanturia while he
was in Baku discussing the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline. There are
rumors in the media that the prosecutor’s office may become interested
in Chanturia’s affairs.
Two possible candidates for the presidency of GIOC have been nominated:
the former media tycoon Erosi Kitsmarishvili and the US-based Georgian
Ramaz Berianidze.
Before the Rose Revolution, GIOC president Chanturia was considered to
be not only as a highly successful administrator, but as a possible
candidate succeed then-president Shevardnadze in the 2005 presidential
elections. During the revolution, however, Chanturia remained in
Shevardnadze’s camp, although he did not actively participate against
the Saakashvili-Zvania alliance.
Unlike many Shevardnadze allies, Chanturia was not discharged
immediately after the Rose Revolution, although his office building was
taken from him. The Georgian media suggested that Chanturia’s was able
to remain in his post owing to his personal friendship with current
Azeri president Ilham Aliev.
It is said that they have been friends from their youth and that,
according to newspaper Alia; Chanturia was appointed GIOC president by
Shevardnadze under the recommendation and promotion of the Aliev family.
Nobody can say whether Aliev agreed to Gia Chanturia’s discharge or if
Saakashvili asked him.
According to Alia, Chanturia may be questioned by the general
Prosecutor’s office. But assuming that he manages to avoid any
complications with Georgia law-enforcement bodies, he might be granted a
high position in Azerbaijan by his friend Aliev.
3. ENERGY REGULATION COMMISSION REFRAINS FROM COMMENTING ON POSSIBLE
CORRECTION IN ENERGY TARIFF
Source: Sarke, September 13, 2004
The Right Opposition faction of Parliamentary has raised a question on
the reduction of consumer’s energy tariff following the recent
strengthening of the lari rate. However, the chairman of the National
Energy Regulation Commission Giorgi Tavadze says according to the law,
the gas tariff is liable to changes only if the change of the lari
exchange rate exceeds 5%, while this regulation does not concern the
energy tariff.
4. UEDC FAILS TO ENSURE ROUND-THE CLOCK ENERGY SUPPLY IN WINTER
Georgia United Energy Distributing Company (UEDC) fails to guarantee
round-the-clock electricity supply during the winter season.
The company spokesmen told INTER-PRESS big cities- Rustavi and Kutaisi,
where external installation of the electricity meters is almost
completed, power will be delivered from 06:00-08:00pm in winter, while
electricity supply in villages, where communal meters are installed will
be 8-hour.
“Communal meters will be installed on transformers of each village and
it will indicate the extend of the consumed electricity by the whole
village. Such processes are already completed in the entire zone of the
Imereti region. Communal meters are being installed in the
Mtskheta-Mtianeti and Samtskhe-Javaxeti regions”, the company spokesmen
said.
UEDC is anticipating receiving GEL 1 million grant from the central
budget that will enable the company to install communal meters in
villages.
As for the big cities, where a process of external installation of
meters are underway, the company reports that will try to ensure the
solvent consumers with the permanent electricity supply during the
winter season.
Meanwhile, American managers of the company state that electricity
supply during the winter season will be guaranteed for only solvent
consumers.
5. MADNEULI RECEIVES GEORGIA’S FIRST GOLD
Source: Messenger, September 13, 2004
The Georgian company Madneuli is the first in the history of Georgia to,
in laboratory conditions, pour out an 80gram gold ingot from
gold-containing allow produced by the Georgian-Australian joint venture
Quartzite (kvartsit), Madneuli’s General Director Vasily Tsotadze told
the press.
Alloy produced by Quartzite as a semi-finished has until now been
processed in Britain, Tsotadze said.
In order for Madneuli to begin producing pure gold without the help of
foreign partners, “the enterprise requires re-equipping and
modernization, which specialists say will cost $12 millions,” he said.
“If the government is ‘kind’ in this and an investor is found. The
Madneuli workforce will undertake to produce Georgian gold,” Tsotadze
told.
Economic Development Minister Kakha Bendukidze said in later comments
with the press on Tsotadze’s own statements that state-owned Madneuli
“should be sold and as quickly as possible,” adding “any state-run
enterprise is a wellspring of corruption”.
Madneuli was founded in December of 1994 at the Madneuli mining and
beneficiation combine. The government currently owns 97.3% of the
company’s stock.
6. VITOL WINS SOCAR URALS TENDER
Source: CBN, September 14, 2004
Azeri State Oil Firm SOCAR has awarded a tender for one million barrels
of Russian sour Urals crude for October 18-19 loading from Novorossiysk
to Swiss-based trading house Vitol, a SOCAR official said on September
10, 2004. The official said SOCAR would also tender a second
million-barrel Novorossiysk cargo next week to be loaded during the last
days of October. The previous SOCAR tender, for a million-barrel
end-September Urals cargo, was won last month by trading house Taurus.
SOCAR exports its crude from two Black Sea ports, Novorossiysk in Russia
and Supsa in Georgia. In Russia, SOCAR’s crude is mixed with Russia’s
main crude export blend Urals. From Supsa, SOCAR exports sweet Azeri
light grade as part of the Azeri state’s production sharing deal in a
BP-led Caspian offshore project.
7. VACANCY ANNOUNCEMENT — ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT
For the purposes of BP operations and under the BP management
supervision, IRA Ltd is seeking to recruit a suitable qualified
individual for the posotion of Administrative Assistant.
Administrative assistant will be a third-party contractor for BP WREP
Operations working under BP management supervision.
Job Description:
The Administrative Assistant will be responsible for:
Provision of administrative and secretarial assistance to the Pipeline
Superintendent and to the Operations Department
Undertaking and coordination of all activities associated with the
provision of translation/interpretation services
Roles&Responsibilities:
Specific responsibilities will include, but not be limited to:
o Scheduling, arranging and coordination of meeting, other appointments
and activities for the Pipeline Superintendent and for the Operations
Department
o Interpreting for Pipeline Superintendent and for Operations department
and other visiting executives at meetings with Georgian Ministeries or
other Government Agencies, GIOC, etc.
o Translating all departmental level correspondence, and any BP
sensitive or confidential documents.
o Development and maintenance of an operations personnel tracking system
for day to day location and vacationn scheduling
o Provision of administrative support to the pipeline Superintendent and
operations
o Department, ensuring that all office activities including telephone
screening, preperation of correspondence and documentation, maintenance
of filing systems, etc. are efficiently handeled.
o Maintenance of data bases and tracking systems related to HSE
records,Process Upsets, Safety Inputs including preparing and issuing
associated weekly and monthly reports
Experience&Education:
o The incumbent will have:
o University degree in languages with advance studies in English,
Georgian and Russian
ž Flient English and russian skills
ž 5 years of experience at least in administration and
translation/interpretation at all levels of business and government
ž PC proficiency (Microsoft Word) essential
ž Exposure to government & Public activities is desirable
ž Knowledge of technical terminology used in the oil industry would be
preferable
ž Georgian citizenship is required.
How to Apply / Additional Information:
If you feel you have the required skills and experience to fulfill this
role please submit a copy of your CV and fill in the relevant
application form available at the adress below.
The closing date for receipt of application is Thursday, September 23,
2004
All applications received will be acknowledged but this is no way
implies that candidates will be interviewed and/or offered employment.
HR Department
BP Exploration (Caspian Sea) Ltd. Georgia
123A Agmashenebeli Avenue, Tbilisi Georgia