Turkey determined to proceed with Southern Gas Corridor: Minister

BAKU - Anadolu Agency

Turkish Energy Minister Taner Yıldız speaks at the Consultative Council on the Southern Gas Corridor project in Baku. AA Photo

Turkey fully intends to proceed with the Trans Anatolian Natural Gas Pipeline (TANAP) and the Southern Gas Corridor projects, Energy Minister Taner Yıldız said Feb. 12.

“These projects take advantage of Turkey’s geographic position, and Turkey will use that advantage in favor of its neighbors and EU members,” Yıldız said.

Speaking at the Consultative Council on the Southern Gas Corridor project in Baku, Yıldız said his country was determined both politically and economically about the project.

“The $45 billion Southern Gas Corridor is one of the most significant projects for the supply of natural gas to European Union countries,” Yıldız said.

The 3,500-kilometer-long Southern Gas Corridor is slated to carry natural gas beginning in Azerbaijan in the east near the Caspian Sea, then passing through Turkish territory to reach Greece in the west, and then further on to Albania and Italy.

The 2,000-kilometer-long $11 billion TANAP project will be a critical part of the corridor, as it will transport natural gas from Azerbaijan’s Shah Deniz II field on the Caspian Sea.

 “TANAP is moving ahead of schedule,” he said, adding that Turkey had increased its share of the Shah Deniz II natural gas field.

The pipeline will originate at the Georgia-Turkey border, then pass through Anatolia to reach Greece, carrying 16 billion cubic meters (bcm) of gas annually when it is completed in 2018. Six billion cubic meters of gas will be for Turkey’s domestic consumption.

“All rings of the chain must be linked together,” Yıldız said, stressing that each country of the Southern Gas Corridor had to contribute to the project.

Yıldız said the Turkish president would attend the groundbreaking ceremony of TANAP in March.

The energy minister also met in Baku with the current vice president of the European Commission in charge of the Energy Union, Maros Sefcovic, and Azerbaijani Industry and Energy Minister Natiq Aliyev.

He also met with Amos Hochstein, the special envoy and coordinator for International Energy Affairs leading the Bureau of Energy Resources at the U.S. Department of State, and Greek Productive Reconstruction, Environment and Energy Minister Panagiotis Lafazanis.