Azernews.Az

The Interconnector Turkey-Greece-Italy (ITGI) project proposes a new strategy which envisages transporting Mediterranean gas to European markets, Natural Gas Europe quoted Greek Public Gas Corporation (DEPA) Chief Executive Harry Sachinis as saying.

DEPA together with Italian Edison is a shareholder in the ITGI project, which recently was excluded by the consortium of the Azerbaijani Shah Deniz field development from the list of projects being considered to export Azerbaijani gas to European countries. Another project, Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP), was announced a priority route for export of Azerbaijani gas to Italy.

Sachinis said addressing the CERAWeek Energy Conference in Houston that the ITGI project may be linked to the prospective natural gas reserves offshore Cyprus and Israel.

He stressed that ITGI was not merely a pipeline route but an integral energy system that can easily be used for the supplies of Mediterranean gas from the Leviathan, Tamar, Field 12 and other new projects into Europe. He also said an additional subwater pipeline from Cyprus to Greece could be linked to this system, along with LNG stations in Greece.

According to DEPA`s plans, a 1,100 kilometer pipeline may be laid from Cyprus to Crete that could transport 8 billion cbm of natural gas per year. Crete would be linked to mainland Greece and be integrated to the Greek domestic gas system with one main branch of the pipeline transferring gas to Italy via the Poseidon pipeline, which is ITGI`s offshore part. Other quantities of gas will be transported via IGB (Interconnector Greece Bulgaria) to Bulgaria.

Natural Gas Europe, however, noted that the plans to transport Mediterranean gas to Europe are facing several problems, including the time which is necessary for tapping all natural gas fields in East Mediterranean, and the lack of know-how for such a large undertaking which Greek or Israeli companies are suffering of. Moreover, the project is located in the territory of considerable political risk: right beside Syria-Lebanon and within a short distance from Turkey which opposes vehemently such initiatives.

Recently, Turkish Energy Minister Taner Yildiz said the transportation of gas produced in the Republic of Cyprus to Europe through Turkey is impossible. Yildiz called the development of the gas field in Cyprus jointly with Israel as being the main reason and said Turkey will not allow transportation of gas through its territory due to Israel`s refusal to apologise for the deaths of nine Turks during an attack of its intelligence services on a Turkish ship.

Earlier, the Greek administration in the southern part of the Cypriot island announced it was preparing a pipeline project between Cyprus and Turkey whereby gas produced will be liquefied and transported to the Turkish territory for further export to Europe.