Azernews.Az

If the Azerbaijani-Turkish TANAP gas pipeline is not ready in time, infrastructure of Turkish state pipeline company Botas could be used to transport Azerbaijani gas to European markets, a representative of British energy giant BP has said in an interview with Turkey`s Sabah newspaper.

``The negotiations on TANAP [Trans Anatolian Pipeline] project implementation have been successfully underway with the Azerbaijani side. But if this gas pipeline is not ready in time, Botas infrastructure can be used,`` said BP Turkey chief Bud Fackrell, who is also responsible for BP Turkey`s operations in Azerbaijan and Georgia.

He said that the transportation of gas from Azerbaijan`s Shah Deniz 2 field in the Caspian Sea to Europe envisages the implementation of six projects worth $40 billion -- the biggest energy project which is to be implemented.

Azerbaijan and Turkey have signed a memorandum of understanding to establish a consortium that will build the 2,000-kilometer TANAP pipeline to supply gas from the BP Plc-led Shah Deniz field to European markets through Turkey. Botas has a 20 percent stake in the project, while the Azerbaijani state energy firm Socar holds 80 percent.

Initial capacity of the TANAP pipeline will be 16 billion cubic meters. Some 6 billion cubic meters of the volume will be supplied to Turkey, while the rest will be transported to Europe.

At present, Azerbaijan is choosing a route for gas exports to Europe via Turkey.

The resource-rich South Caucasus republic is exporting gas to Turkey via the South Caucasus Pipeline, a section of the Baku-Tbilisi-Erzurum (BTE) gas pipeline, which links Azerbaijan with the neighboring country through Georgia.

New shareholders
New shareholders may join the TANAP pipeline and its capacity could be expanded, Azerbaijani ambassador to Turkey Faig Bagirov was quoted by Turkish newspaper Haberdar as saying on Monday.

``Other countries, for instance, Ukraine, could participate in the TANAP project,`` he said. ``No final decision has yet been passed to that end. Everything is up to Azerbaijan, Turkey and the Shah Deniz consortium.``

Bagirov also said that Azerbaijan and Turkey are due to sign an inter-governmental agreement on the TANAP project later in June.

Regarding the Nabucco pipeline project, which seeks to export Caspian and Central Asian gas to European markets bypassing Russia, Bagirov said it was too early to conclude that it has failed. ``The project could be realized under another title and a different concept,`` he added.