But the pipeline could be delayed until that new oil is found. The fight for Baku's oil is hardly new. During World War II, some of the most brutal battles were fought north of Azerbaijan, where Hitler's tanks tried to take the Caspian oil fields, which supplied much of the fuel for the Red Army. Today, the city's old glory is evident in the miles of rusting oil derricks dotting the shores and countryside outside Baku. Much of the infrastructure is old and dilapidated.
Oil leaks leave parts of the city smelling like a gas station.
Most of the new oil fields are miles offshore. Just outside the city is Yanar Dag or Burning Hill, where flames leap from an area 20 feet long and three feet wide - a fire that has burned for about a hundred years, residents say.