3-part system for the transfer of Azeri gas

ISTANBUL

The transmission capacity of TANAP will be 16 billion cubic meters in the first phase,with the possibility to raise the capacity to 30 billio, says Abdullayev.

Natural gas transfer from Azerbaijan to Europe requires a three-part system that includes the South Caucus pipelines, TANAP and TAP, said Rövnag Abdullayev, the President of the Azeri state oil company SOCAR at the Caspian Forum in Istanbul yesterday.

“We think major part of this gas can be transferred to Europe. Sure, an appropriate gas-transfer infrastructure that has potential of providing safe transport and transit capability,” Abdullayev said.

He said such a system should be made in three parts. The first part is South Caucus Pipeline that will carry “Shahdeniz-1” gas to Georgia and Turkey, adding it has already proved its efficiency and they had been working on increasing its capacity.

The second part is TANAP, and the third part is Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP), he said. The TANAP pipeline will be carrying gas from Azerbaijan through Georgia and Turkey to European markets. The construction of this pipeline will assure Turkey and Azerbaijan’s energy security and export potential, he said. TANAP is the joint project of these two countries, he recalled.

“The transmission capacity of TANAP will be 16 billion cubic meters in the first phase. The possibility to raise the capacity to 30 billion cubic meters in advance will be taken into consideration. The construction of pipeline will begin in 2014,” he said.