Azernews.Az

By Leman Mammadova

The construction of the Trans-Anatolian gas pipeline (TANAP), which is the main part of the Southern Gas Corridor, has been completed.

Thus, the TANAP gas pipeline is ready for the transportation of Azerbaijani gas to Europe from July 1, 2019, Azerbaijan’s state oil company SOCAR said in a message.

“After the completion of the construction of the Trans-Adriatic Pipeline (TAP), which is the last segment of the Southern Gas Corridor, Azerbaijani natural gas produced in the second phase of the development of the Shah Deniz field will be transported to Europe via TANAP and TAP, which will increase Azerbaijan’s revenues and make a significant contribution to Europe’s energy security,” reads the message.

At the same time, TANAP became the longest gas pipeline with the widest pipe diameter in Turkey, the Middle East and Europe.

SOCAR President Rovnag Abdullayev said that Southern Gas Corridor and TANAP are already a reality today.

He recalled that last year the first gas deliveries to Turkey began through TANAP, and today, it is fully ready for the supply of natural gas to Europe and what remains is to complete TAP.

The message says that the cost of TANAP project was lower than $7 billion. The total project costs were estimated at $11.7 billion when making the final investment agreement. But as a result of decision-making on the sale and purchase of the project at the right moment and as a result of maximizing the benefits of project management, it was possible to complete the project for less than $7 billion.

Rovnag Abdullayev said that Azerbaijan has once again showed the whole world that it is capable to implement complex transnational projects not only within the country, but also abroad, in a timely and highly profitable way.

“During the implementation of the TANAP project together with its partners, SOCAR was able to reduce the total cost of the project by 40 percent saving about $5 billion,” he said.

TANAP, along with TAP, is a part of Southern Gas Corridor project that envisages transportation of gas from Azerbaijani Shah Deniz-2 gas field to European markets. TANAP gas pipeline was put into operation on June 12, 2018 in Eskisehir, Turkey. The first gas transportation to Turkey started on June 30, 2018.

TANAP, with a total length of 850 kilometers, is designed to carry 16 billion cubic meters of natural gas annually. 6 billion cubic meters of the amount will be used to meet Turkey's demands, while the remaining 10 billion cubic meters will be sent to Europe.

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