Baku: Black Sea Petroleum (BSP) is transitioning to Kazakh and Libyan crude oil at its Georgian Kulevi refinery as part of a plan to phase out Russian oil. According to Azeri-Press News Agency, BSP announced on July 1, 2026, that it would refine exclusively non-Russian crude beginning in August to September 2026. The refinery received Kazakh oil in July and plans to continue through August.

BSP further revealed a new agreement signed on July 3 with an unnamed international company for Libyan oil supply. The Kulevi Refinery is scheduled to receive Libyan oil between August 20 and 30. This agreement, effective until the end of 2027, includes an extension option.

The company is working on a feedstock diversification plan, engaging with the European Commission, and providing evidence of its progress. These efforts aim to ensure a smooth transition to non-Russian feedstocks while maintaining refinery operations.

On July 24, BSP declared it would cease refining Russian oil by early September due to EU preventative sanctions. Sanctions, effective from January 25, 2027, target refineries processing Russian oil, including the Kulevi Refinery, unless they diversify their activities away from Russian oil.

BSP initially announced intentions to stop Russian oil imports on July 2, planning a switch to Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan crude. The company reported refining over 650,000 tonnes of oil in the first half of 2026.

The Kulevi refinery, Georgia's only refinery, located in Khobi Municipality, commissioned its first phase with a 1.2 million tonnes capacity last year. A second phase will increase capacity to 4.5 million tonnes per year, with total investment at $800 million. The refinery, commissioned in May 2008, is near the SOCAR-operated Kulevi port terminal and has an overall capacity of 10 million tonnes of bulk oil annually.