Baku, Azerbaijan, May 11
By Anakhanum Idayatova - Trend:
EU is doing everything it can to make sure that the Southern Gas Corridor project is implemented in time, Malena Mard, head of the EU Delegation in Azerbaijan, told reporters in Baku May 11.
Implementation of the Southern Gas Corridor and having the first gas coming to Italy is major priority for the EU, Mard said.
The inauguration ceremony of the Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP), which is being implemented within the framework of the Southern Gas Corridor project and which will be held May 17 in Thessaloniki, Greece, is a very important event, she said.
TAP project envisages transportation of gas from the Stage 2 of development of Azerbaijan's Shah Deniz gas and condensate field to the EU countries.
The 870-kilometer pipeline will be connected to the Trans Anatolian Pipeline (TANAP) on the Turkish-Greek border, run through Greece, Albania and the Adriatic Sea, before coming ashore in Italy's south.
TAP's initial capacity will be 10 billion cubic meters of gas a year, expandable to 20 billion cubic meters.
Commenting on cooperation between the two sides, Mard added that EU is already the major trade partner of Azerbaijan but it wants to increase even further both trade and investments.
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