Azernews.Az

By Trend

Commissioning of the Trans-Anatolian Natural Gas Pipeline (TANAP) project is primarily of great importance in terms of strengthening the Azerbaijani economy, Azerbaijani MP Tahir Rzayev told Trend.

He noted that this project is very important also in terms of ensuring the energy security of Europe.

“The biggest significance of this project is that it will give strong impetus to further strengthening the economy, increasing the international prestige of Azerbaijan,” he said. “Of course, this project will also ensure the energy security of many European countries, and big investments will be attracted to Azerbaijan.”

A ceremony to launch TANAP took place June 12 in the Turkish city of Eskisehir.

TANAP, together with Trans-Adriatic Pipeline (TAP), is a part of the Southern Gas Corridor, which provides for the transportation of gas from the Azerbaijani field Shah Deniz to Europe.

The initial capacity of TANAP is expected to be 16 billion cubic meters of gas per year. About six billion cubic meters will be supplied to Turkey, and the rest to Europe. After completion of the TAP, the gas will reach Europe in early 2020.

The share distribution in TANAP is as follows: Southern Gas Corridor CJSC - 51 percent, SOCAR Turkey Enerji - 7 percent, Botas - 30 percent, and BP - 12 percent.

The launching ceremony of the first stage of the Southern Gas Corridor project was held in Baku on May 29.

The gas from the Azerbaijani Shah Deniz field has already gone through the first segment of the Southern Gas Corridor - from the Sangachal terminal to the expanded South Caucasus Pipeline.

The Southern Gas Corridor, which costs more than $40 billion, is one of the priority projects for the EU and provides for the transportation of 10 billion cubic meters of Azerbaijani gas from the Caspian region through Georgia and Turkey to Europe.