Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec.15
Trend:
The European Union wants to increase the capacity of TANAP Azerbaijani gas pipeline to Europe to 20 billion cubic meters in connection with a stop of South Stream project implementation, RIA Novosti news agency said.
The relevant agreement was reached last week by Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, Minister of Energy and Natural Resources of Turkey Taner Yildiz and the new EU Energy Commissioner Marosh Shefchovich, according to the Spiegel magazine.
TANAP project involves the construction of a gas pipeline from Azerbaijan's Shah Deniz field through Georgia, Turkey, Greece, and Albania to the south of Italy. It is planned to supply 6 billion cubic meters of gas to Turkey and 10 billion cubic meters to Europe. In the future, capacity of the pipeline can be increased to 31 billion cubic meters.
"There are technical prerequisites for power increase," said Shefchovich. All the participants of negotiation agreed that the construction of the gas pipeline will be completed by 2019, according to him.
Closure of the South Stream project became known on December 1, 2014. During the state visit to Turkey, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that Russia could not continue the project under the present circumstances, including the non-constructive position of the European Union. The Russian Federation will build a new gas pipeline system in order to meet the needs of Turkey. Later, the head of Gazprom Alexei Miller confirmed that the South Stream project is closed.
Translated by EA
Edited by CN