Turkish minister: TANAP gas pipeline to reduce volumes of Russian gas import

Azerbaijan, Baku, Jan.16 / Trend A. Taghiyeva / Azerbaijani-Turkish gas pipeline Trans Anadolu (TANAP) will allow reducing the volume of gas purchased from Russia, Turkish Energy and Natural Resources Minister Taner Yildiz said in an interview with the Cumhuriyyet newspaper yesterday. "Implementation of TANAP construction project will increase import of Azerbaijani gas and reduce dependence on Russian gas," Yildiz said. He said Turkey has done everything necessary to implement the Nabucco project, however, the EU does not takes specific steps in this direction. Yildiz also said the TANAP gas pipeline will contribute to implementation of the Nabucco project and will facilitate it. Azerbaijan and Turkey signed a memorandum of understanding to establish the consortium that will build a gas pipeline to supply gas from the "Shah Deniz" field to Europe through Turkish territory. The construction of Trans Anadolu gas pipeline (TANAP) is required for the export of most part of 50 billion cubic meters of gas that Azerbaijan intends to produce by 2025. The parties involved in the project intend to resolve all issues on this gas pipeline in 2012. They also plan to commence construction immediately in order to complete it by late 2017. The second phase of development of the Azerbaijani Shah Deniz gas condensate field will be launched during that period. The consortium on the development of Azerbaijani Shah Deniz gas condensate field (reserves are estimated at 1.2 trillion cubic meters) considers possible routes for gas exports to Europe. In particular, the routes of "Southern Gas Corridor" are studied. Nabucco project is designed to transport gas from the Caspian region and Middle East to the EU countries. Construction of the Nabucco project is planned to start in 2013 and the first supplies are scheduled for 2017. The total length of the pipeline is 3,900 kilometers with a maximum capacity of 31 billion cubic meters per year. The project's partners include the Austrian OMV, Hungarian MOL, Bulgarian Bulgargaz, Romanian Transgaz, Turkish Botas and the German RWE. Do you have any feedback? Contact our journalist at agency@trend.az