Brussels preparing European companies for Trans-Caspian Gas Pipeline talks
By Huseyn Hasanov
Brussels is preparing the European oil and gas companies for talks
with Turkmenistan’s gas concern, the Turkmengas, for a project on
construction of the Trans-Caspian Gas Pipeline, according to the
Western media outlets.
The Caspian Development Corporation is planned to be created to
this end, according to the media reports.
As Reuters reported March 25, Maros Sefcovic, the EU’s head of
energy union, is going to visit Turkmenistan in coming months for
talks on the Trans-Caspian Gas Pipeline.
The Western media outlets said that among the interested companies
there are BP, Statoil, Total and others that have deployed business
in Azerbaijan, as well as RWE and Eni, which already have an
agreement with Turkmenistan on geological exploration in the
Turkmen sector of the Caspian Sea with a prospect of gas
purchases.
Turkmenistan is a key player in the gas market in the Caspian
region and Central Asia.
When talking about construction of a pipeline to Europe, the most
optimal route would be laying a 300-kilometer gas pipeline across
the Caspian Sea to the coasts of Azerbaijan, which has at its
disposal an appropriate infrastructure for the re-export of
Turkmenistan’s gas to Turkey and further to Europe.
Back in Sept. 2014, Turkmenistan’s President Gurbanguly
Berdimuhamedov said at a summit of the Caspian states’ heads in
Russia’s Astrakhan, that his country continues to believe in the
realization of the Trans-Caspian Gas Pipeline project.
“Turkmenistan is firmly convinced that the construction of such
pipelines is the sovereign right of the states through the bottom
section of which they run,” Berdimuhamedov said. “Therefore these
pipelines can be constructed only with their consent, naturally in
compliance with the highest international environmental
standards.”
“The provision of a durable stability and security is the main
condition of our successful cooperation in the Caspian Sea, and a
key to solving all the existing issues,” the president added.
Ranking fourth in the world in terms of natural gas reserves,
Turkmenistan seeks to significantly expand the access to
international gas market, to efficiently use of its natural
resources. Currently, Turkmenistan’s gas is purchased by Iran,
Russia and China.
In early March, Turkmenistan’s Petroleum and Mineral Resources
Ministry said the country announced that an active work is underway
to supply from 10 to 30 billion cubic meters of gas per year to the
European market.
The ministry said the RSK Environment Ltd. carried out the
preliminary environmental studies upon the World Bank’s order.
The examination confirmed that from an environmental point of view,
the Trans-Caspian Gas Pipeline is a safe route, and today,
Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan have every opportunity to implement the
project for its construction as part of bilateral activities.
The deposits of the Turkmen sector of the Caspian Sea may be the
resource base for the gas supply via the Trans-Caspian Gas Pipeline
at the initial stage, said the ministry.
And in this case the reference was made to the European experts,
who believe that the presence of the already explored and proven
natural gas reserves in the Turkmen sector of the Caspian Sea makes
it possible to supply 16 billion cubic meters of gas per year in
this direction.
In the future, there will be an opportunity to use the resources of
gas fields in eastern Turkmenistan to supply gas through the
Trans-Caspian Gas Pipeline. This will be possible after the
commissioning of the East-West gas pipeline with a pumping capacity
of 30 billion cubic meters per year. Its construction will be
completed this year.
The project for the Trans-Caspian Gas Pipeline could become a part
of the TANAP project, which has Ankara and Baku as active
participants.
Azerbaijan expressed readiness to provide its territory, transit
opportunities and infrastructure for this project’s
realization.
TANAP envisages the transportation of gas of Azerbaijan’s Shah
Deniz field from the Georgian-Turkish border to the western borders
of Turkey.
TANAP’s initial capacity is expected to reach 16 billion cubic
meters of gas per year. Around six billion cubic meters of this gas
will be delivered to Turkey and the rest of the volume to
Europe.
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