But current gas shortages have also contributed the problem, despite the claims of new Caspian reserves. Government officials said this week that Azerbaijan's power plants have been getting only 80 percent of the gas they require. The country produced only 6 billion cubic meters of gas last year, while its demand was estimated at 15 billion cubic meters. Without enough gas, power plants have also been running out of fuel oil. This is a problem that feeds on itself.
Some regions report that they have redirected gas to heating plants after they have run out of oil.
Azerbaijan had a surplus of fuel oil over the summer, but it has insufficient storage to make supplies last through the winter, officials said. Last fall, several countries in the region including Russia and Ukraine suffered soaring gasoline prices due to shortages. Azerbaijan came to Ukraine's aid by supplying it with diesel fuel at harvest time. Now, Azerbaijan says it has been trading diesel for fuel oil. In Kazakhstan, the government is forcing oil companies to sell over 20 percent of their production domestically at low prices due to similar problems.