Azerbaijan, Baku, Feb. 14 / Trend A.Badalova /
The ITGI (Interconnector Turkey-Greece-Italy) project proposes a new strategy, which envisages transporting Mediterranean gas to the European markets, Natural Gas Europe reported with the reference to Greek Public Gas Corporation (DEPA) Chairman and Chief Executive Harry Sachinis.
DEPA together with Italian Edison is the shareholder in the ITGI project, which recently was excluded by the consortium of the Azerbaijani Shah Deniz field development from the list of those being considered to export Azerbaijani gas to the European countries. Another project - TAP (Trans Adriatic Pipeline) has been announced a priority route for export of the Azerbaijani gas to Italy.
According to Sachinis, addressing the CERA Week Energy Conference in Houston, ITGI project may be linked with the prospective natural gas reserves offshore Cyprus and Israel.
He stressed that ITGI was not merely a pipeline route but an integral energy system that can easily be used for the transfer of Mediterranean gas from the Leviathan, Tamar, Field 12 and other new projects into Europe. He also said in this system an additional subwater pipeline from Cyprus to Greece could be linked, as well as LNG stations in Greece.
According to the DEPA's plans, a 1,100 kilometers pipeline may be laid from Cyprus to Crete that could transfer 8 billion cbm of natural gas per year. Crete would be linked to mainland Greece and be integrated to the Greek domestic gas system with one main branch of the pipeline transferring gas to Italy via the Poseidon pipeline, which is ITGI's offshore part. Other quantities of gas will be transported via IGB (Interconnector Greece Bulgaria) to Bulgaria.
Natural Gas Europe, however, noted that the plans to transport Mediterranean gas to Europe are facing several problems, including the time, which is neseccary for the exploitation of all natural reserves gas fields in East Mediterranean, and the lack of know-how for such a large undertaking which Greek or Israeli companies are suffering of. Moreover, the project is located in territory of considerable political risk: right beside Syria-Lebanon and within a short distance from Turkey which opposes vehemently such initiatives.
Recently, Turkish Energy minister Taner Yildiz stated that the transportation of gas produced in the Republic of Cyprus to Europe through Turkey is impossible. Yildiz called the development of the gas field in Cyprus jointly with Israel as being the main reason and said Turkey will not allow transportation of gas through its territory due to Israel's refusal to apologise for the deaths of nine Turks during an attack of its intelligence services on a Turkish ship.
Earlier, the Greek administration in the southern part of the Cypriot island announced it was preparing a pipeline project between Cyprus and Turkey whereby gas produced will be liquefied and transported to the Turkish territory for further export to Europe.