Azerbaijan not gave up its plans to provide gas to Bulgaria
Preference for the Trans Adriatic Pipeline, which will supply Azerbaijani natural gas to Europe, does not mean Azerbaijan has given up its plans to provide gas to Bulgaria, the Bulgarian "Focus" information agency reported with reference to Vice President of Azerbaijan's energy giant SOCAR Elshad Nasirov said.
The consortium developing Azerbaijan's giant Shah Deniz gas field in the Caspian Sea on June 28 announced that the Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) has been selected to transport Shah Deniz gas to Europe.
According to Nasirov, Bulgaria can become the first buyer of natural gas supplied through the Trans Adriatic Pipeline.
"There is a two-way interconnector between Bulgaria and Greece, which the pipeline runs through. If it is technologically possible, Bulgaria will be able to buy Azerbaijani gas from the very first stage of its transportation to Europe," Nasirov said.
Bulgaria earlier announced that it plans to buy 1-2 billion cubic meters of Azerbaijani natural gas a year.
The TAP pipeline will collect Azerbaijani gas on the border of Greece and Turkey and carry it across Greece and Albania before reaching southern Italy, stretching 870 kilometers. Construction of TAP is expected to start in 2015.
TAP's landfall in Italy, the third largest gas market in Europe, provides multiple opportunities for further transport of Caspian natural gas to some of the largest European markets such as Germany, France, the UK, Switzerland and Austria.
Designed to expand the capacity from 10 to 20 bcm per year, TAP will open up the so-called Southern Gas Corridor, enhancing Europe's energy security by providing a new source of gas.