The only oil refinery in Georgia, located in the port of Kulevi, will no longer accept or use oil from the Russian Federation. The management of the facility made this decision due to the threat of sanctions from the European Union.
This is reported by Finway
Replacing Russian Oil with Alternative Supplies
The CEO of Black Sea Petroleum (BSP), which operates the refinery, David Pochveria, stated that the company plans to completely abandon Russian oil, replacing it with supplies from Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan, as well as other alternative sources. According to him, this move will allow BSP to avoid export restrictions, as the EU prohibits the import of petroleum products made from Russian raw materials.
“Our task is to completely replace the existing Russian oil,” he said.
Pochveria also noted that initially the facility operated on Russian oil, but now the company is actively diversifying its raw material sources to enter new markets and meet European requirements.
Transit Difficulties and New Challenges
One of the main challenges in the transition away from Russian oil has been the complications in the transit of Turkmen raw materials through Azerbaijan. According to Pochveria, although agreements for the supply of Turkmen oil were reached several months ago, its transportation is delayed due to unexpected difficulties related to rail transport in Azerbaijan.
It is worth noting that in October 2025, the company “Russneft” made the first delivery of oil to the newly built refinery in the port of Kulevi. Now, the facility is fully transitioning to alternative raw material sources, which will allow it to adapt to changes in the energy market and maintain competitiveness in the region.