Azernews.Az

By Aynur Jafarova

The Trans-Anatolian (TANAP) gas pipeline project has awarded Australian WorleyParsons Company a significant five-year contract for the supply of Engineering, Procurement and Construction Management (EPCM) services.

The contract envisages providing project management, co-ordination, planning, design, engineering, construction management, contracting, procurement, project controls and other services for construction of the new pipeline and pipeline facilities including compressor stations, WorleyParsons said on May 19.

"Typically EPCM fees for pipeline projects are significantly lower than those for complex process projects," the company said.

WorleyParsons is a leading provider of professional services to the resources and energy sectors and complex process industries.

TANAP General Manager H. Saltuk Duzyol believes this contract is critical to the success of the TANAP project.

WorleyParsons' Chief Executive Officer Andrew Woo, in turn, said his company is delighted with the award of this strategically important project and looks forward to supporting TANAP in the successful delivery of this project.

TANAP, developed by Azerbaijan's state energy company SOCAR in collaboration with Turkish Botas and the energy company TPAO, will deliver Shah Deniz gas to the Turkish-Greek border from eastern Turkey.

The initial capacity of the pipeline will be 16 billion cubic meters of gas a year. TANAP will link up with Trans-Adriatic (TAP) pipeline on the Turkish-Greek border.

About six billion cubic meters of gas will be delivered to Turkey and the rest to Europe. TANAP shareholders plan to lay the pipeline's foundation in the second quarter of 2014, and commission it in 2018. The costs of the TANAP project are estimated at $10 billion to $11 billion.