SOCAR ready to provide infrastructure for Turkmenistan’s energy projects
By Aynur Jafarova
Azerbaijan’s state energy company SOCAR is ready to provide necessary infrastructure, a diversified system of oil and gas pipelines and other opportunities for implementation of projects in the oil and gas sector of Turkmenistan.
These remarks were made by SOCAR Head Rovnag Abdullayev at the Oil and Gas Exhibition and Conference, which is being held in Turkmenistan’s capital Ashgabat on November 18-20.
“We are always ready to provide the countries of the region, and first of all our closest neighbor - fraternal Turkmenistan - with existing well-developed infrastructure, a diversified system of oil and gas pipelines, depots and terminals, marine park and other opportunities for implementation of projects in the oil and gas sector,” he noted.
Abdullayev added diversification of transport routes from the Caspian Basin will serve as an important factor in strengthening energy security not only of consumers, but also for the countries of this region, and ensure the decrease of the transport expenditures and thereby, making commercial supplies of hydrocarbons more profitable.
“Azerbaijan is a country open for mutually beneficial cooperation,” SOCAR head said. “The foundation of the Southern Gas Corridor, intended for the transportation of Azerbaijani gas to Turkey and Europe, was laid on September.”
Both Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan, two Caspian littoral countries, are interested in using alternative routes for transportation of energy resources from the resource-rich Caspian region to European markets.
There are two options for realizing this goal: the Trans-Caspian Pipeline and the Trans-Anatolian Pipeline (TANAP).
The Trans-Caspian Gas Pipeline with a length of around 300 kilometers will be laid from the Turkmen coast of the Caspian Sea to Azerbaijan, where it will be linked to the Southern Gas Corridor. The pipeline's capacity is 30-40 billion cubic meters of gas per year.
Talks on the construction of the Trans-Caspian Gas Pipeline between Turkmenistan, the EU, and other countries have been held regularly since late 1990s.
The negotiation process intensified after the EU issued a mandate to start negotiations on the preparation of an agreement between the EU, Azerbaijan, and Turkmenistan on the Trans-Caspian project in September 2011.
Ashgabat believes that the agreement between Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan is sufficient for laying a pipe under the Caspian Sea – the Trans-Caspian Pipeline.
TANAP, developed by SOCAR in collaboration with Turkish Botas and the energy company TPAO, will deliver Shah Deniz gas to the Turkish-Greek border from eastern Turkey.
The initial capacity of the pipeline will be 16 billion cubic meters of gas a year. TANAP will link up with Trans-Adriatic (TAP) pipeline on the Turkish-Greek border. About six billion cubic meters of gas will be delivered to Turkey and the rest to Europe. The costs of the TANAP project are estimated at $10 billion to $11 billion.
Earlier, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who was on an official visit in Ashgabat, said the TANAP project could also count on supply of Turkmen gas to Europe.
“TANAP may transport gas both from Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan to Europe through Turkey’s territory,” Erdogan said.