BP: TANAP to turn Turkey into energy hub in region

/By Azernews/

By Fatma Babayeva

Trans-Anatolian gas pipeline will play an important role in ensuring the energy security of Europe, said Bud Fackrell, the spokesman of the BP Turkey to the Turkish newspaper Pusulahaber on April 22.

BP’s spokesman stressed that the construction of the TANAP pipeline will turn Turkey into an energy hub in the region.

Fakrell also stated the strategic importance of the Azerbaijani-initiated Southern Gas Corridor project.

In addition, Saltuk Duzyol, TANAP General Manager said to Azertac that all opportunities will be used for commissioning TANAP before June 2018.

TANAP project envisages transporting gas from Azerbaijani Shah Deniz field via the Georgian-Turkish border to the western border of Turkey onwards Greece where it will be connected to the Trans Adriatic Pipeline.

The Shah Deniz gas will be sent to Turkey in 2018. After the completion of the TAP pipeline, this gas will be transported to the Europe approximately at the beginning of 2020.

Azerbaijan’s state owned energy company SOCAR owns 58 percent shares in TANAP, while Botas and BP have 30 percent and 12 percent of shares respectively.

The Southern Gas Corridor project is a priority for the EU and it will provide transportation of 10 billion cubic meters of Azerbaijani gas from the Caspian region to Europe via Georgia and Turkey.

At the initial stage, the gas will be produced within the second phase of Azerbaijani gas condensate field Shah Deniz which is considered as the main source for the Southern Gas Corridor.

At later stages, other sources can be connected to the pipeline.

The gas that will be produced within the second development stage will be exported to Turkey and to European markets through the expansion of the South Caucasus gas pipeline and the construction of TANAP and TAP.

It is the main investment project of Azerbaijan.

Since the EU tries to diversify away from one main gas supplier to its markets and tries to reduce its dependence on Russian gas after the ties between these two has become tense due to issues related to Ukraine crisis and use of gas as political tool, the realization of the SGC project will contribute to the enhancement of the energy security of the EU.

Albania, Bulgaria and some other European countries are also earlier expressed their willingness to be connected to the TAP pipeline.

Moreover, the realization of the SGC project will increase Azerbaijan’s role in the region and bring it closer to the EU.