Azerbaijan, Baku, April 10 / Trend A. Badalova /
The pipeline for Azerbaijani gas transportation to Europe must have the opportunity to expand the capacity to 24 billion cubic meters per year with a view to transport the additional gas from Azerbaijani other fields, BP Azerbaijan president Rashid Javanshir said at the forum in Baku today. The forum is dedicated to the creation of a new complex for oil and gas processing and production of petrochemical products in Azerbaijan.
"Shah Deniz second stage development project is a very important strategic project," he said. "Its mission is to open 'Southern gas corridor', which will transport Caspian gas to the European markets."
"Six billion cubic meters of gas from Shah Deniz field second stage development will be delivered to Turkey, and at least ten billion - through Turkey and then to Europe," Javanshir said.
He said that the transit of gas via Turkey has two variants. The first variants is a modernization of the existing infrastructure of the Turkish state pipeline company BOTAS, and the second variant - the construction of Trans Anadolu gas pipeline (TANAP) in Turkey.
Azerbaijan and Turkey plan to create a pipeline from the Turkish eastern border to the western border of the country. At present, BOTAS has a 20 percent stake in TANAP, and State Oil Company of Azerbaijan (SOCAR) - 80-percent share.
"This is a very important strategic project for both Azerbaijan and Turkey," BP Azerbaijan president said. "We are concurrently working on these two variants."
Two main directions - Italian (TAP) and the direction of South-Eastern and Central Europe (which includes "Nabucco" and SEEP) are being considered to transport gas from Shah Deniz field second stage.
"Nabucco has introduced a new concept," he added. "According to it, gas pipeline may begin from the Turkish-European border. We are currently assessing the project. Two projects - Nabucco and SEPP are very interesting. We have created transparent criteria to choose the direction. According to the criteria, the choice will be made."
'Southern Gas Corridor' is one of priority energy project for the EU. It is intended to diversify the routes and sources of energy supplies and thereby to increase the EU energy security. The 'Southern Gas Corridor' projects include "Nabucco", Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP), TANAP.