Black Sea Petroleum (BSP), which owns the Kulevi oil refinery, is working to replace Russian crude oil with alternative sources. Davit Potskhveria, co-founder and CEO of the company, explained this in an interview with Business Media Georgia. According to him, the company initially began by refining Russian oil but is currently actively diversifying its raw materials, which will ultimately allow BSP to enter the EU market. Potskhveria explained that the EU market is currently closed to products made from Russian oil, and the use of alternative raw materials will remove this restriction.

However, one of the main challenges BSP faced in this regard was the initiation of railway oil transit from Turkmenistan through Azerbaijan. "Unfortunately, and somewhat unexpectedly for us, railway transit in our direction through Azerbaijan has proven difficult." "We already have an agreement on Turkmen oil—it was reached several months ago—but its transportation is being delayed," Potskhveria stated. According to him, BSP hopes this issue will be resolved soon, which will allow the company to activate an alternative supply chain. "Once this railway chain is operational, it will automatically enable the transit of other sources, including Kazakh oil," Potskhveria noted.

Until now, representatives of the Kulevi refinery had not spoken to journalists. The media had only published speculation about its operations based on official statistics. According to the company, the refinery currently produces naphtha, high-sulfur diesel, and fuel oil. Black Sea Petroleum's goal is to fully supply the domestic market with Euro-5 gasoline, diesel, and aviation fuel, in addition to expanding exports.

The company denies accusations of violating sanctions, stating that control is exercised by the company itself, Georgian government agencies, and Azerbaijan's state oil company, SOCAR, which owns the Kulevi port. It was previously reported that the European Union was considering imposing sanctions against the Kulevi port, but Brussels subsequently excluded it from the 20th sanctions package being drafted against Russia. In a letter from EU Special Representative for Sanctions David O'Sullivan to Georgian Foreign Minister Maka Botchorishvili, it was stated that the Georgian authorities and SOCAR have committed to conducting their activities in strict compliance with the EU sanctions regime.

Media outlets have also reported on the export of Georgian-produced petroleum products to a number of countries, including Togo. Georgia, which produces virtually no oil, has become an exporter of petroleum products by refining Russian oil at the Kulevi refinery. Commenting on the relevant statistics, Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze stated: “It is not necessary for a country to produce oil itself – this is precisely the case in Georgia.”