If Turkey and Azerbaijan are able to increase the pace of the pipeline construction from the Shah Deniz field, Georgia won't have to buy Russian gas, Georgian Minister of Energy Kakha Kaladze said, Georgia Online news agency reported.
Kaladze made the remarks Dec.4 at the Energy Charter Conference.
He said that if Georgia needs additional volumes of gas until 2018, the country will purchase them from Gazprom.
"If in 2018 we are able to receive additional volumes of gas, we won't have to purchase additional volumes from Gazprom in 2018," said Kaladze. "However, we'll surely receive those 10 percent for the transit. But if we need to purchase natural gas until 2018, we'll do it."