Azernews.Az

By Aynur Jafarova

First gas is to be transported through the Trans-Anatolian gas pipeline (TANAP) in 2019, head of Azerbaijan's state energy company SOCAR Rovnag Abdullayev has said.

Speaking at the international Caspian oil and gas conference in Baku on June 5, Abdullayev said that the work over this pipeline project has been underway for two years.

After the project's implementation, it will be possible to transport 16 billion cubic meters of gas from Azerbaijan's giant Shah Deniz gas condensate field located in the Caspian Sea.

The TANAP project envisages construction of a pipeline from the eastern border of Turkey to the country's western border to supply gas from the Shah Deniz field to Europe through Turkey. Initial capacity of the pipeline is expected to be 16 billion cubic meters per year. Around 6 billion cubic meters will be delivered to Turkey, while the rest will be transported to European markets.

In the future, the capacity of the TANAP project will be increased, which will allow transporting gas from other fields and perspective structures. The construction of the pipeline is planned to be launched next year.

The consortium developing the Shah Deniz field is considering Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) and Nabucco West for gas export. The consortium will make its final decision on the pipeline route in June and a final investment decision by October 2013.

The TAP project is designed to transport gas from the Caspian region via Greece and Albania and across the Adriatic Sea to southern Italy and further into Western Europe. TAP's initial capacity will be 10 billion cubic meters per year, but it is easily expandable to 20 billion cubic meters.

Nabucco West, a short-cut version of the Nabucco project, which envisages construction of a pipeline from the Turkish-Bulgarian border to Austria, and TAP are part of the Southern Gas Corridor, which is one of the EU's priority energy projects. The Southern Gas Corridor aims at diversifying the routes and sources of energy supply, thereby increasing secure delivery.

Abdullayev went on to say that Azerbaijan has an opportunity to extract 20 billion cubic meters of gas per year by 2015, excluding the gas injected into the reservoir to maintain pressure.

Azerbaijan is making its contribution to ensuring energy security of the region, in particular, the energy security of Turkey and Georgia. Operations are underway to increase the country's role in Europe's energy security, Abdullayev said.

Being the largest oil and gas event in the Caspian region, the International Caspian Oil & Gas Exhibition Incorporating Refining and Petrochemicals takes place in the Baku Expo Center from June 4-7, marking its 20th anniversary. The adjoining Caspian Oil & Gas Conference is being held June 5-6 at the Jumeirah Bilgah Beach Hotel.

The exhibition brings together 386 companies from 28 countries, including oil and gas field developers and service providers. It is based in three pavilions of the Baku Expo Center and outdoor space next to the complex. Germany, China, Russia, Turkey and the UK present national groups.