Details were added after third paragraph (first version was posted at 20:11)
Azerbaijan, Baku, Oct. 27 / Trend /
To export most of 50 billion cubic meters of gas that Azerbaijan intends to produce by 2025, Baku and Ankara intend to build a new gas pipeline to Turkey, the President of SOCAR (State Oil Company of Azerbaijan) Rovnag Abdullayev said on Thursday.
Azerbaijan and Turkey have agreed to consider the construction of the pipeline, Abdullayev said in an interview with the ANS TV channel, posted on the official website of the State Oil Company.
With the increase in gas production in the region, the pipeline capacity will be increased. This project will be implemented by two states, but the participation of foreign companies is possible, Abdullayev said.
Participants of this project intend to complete solution of all issues on this pipeline in 2012, and without delay, start building in order to make it ready by the end of 2017, when the second stage of development of Azerbaijani Shah Deniz gas condensate field will launch.
Abdullayev said that on Tuesday in Izmir, Turkey and Azerbaijan signed 15 documents, including an agreement to sell gas to Turkey from the Shah Deniz-2 in 2017, and an agreement on transit of gas from Shah Deniz-2 to Turkey in 2017-2042 via the networks of Turkish Botas State Pipeline Company.
These agreements constitute a complete package of documents for the transportation of Azerbaijani gas to Turkey's border with Greece and Bulgaria. In fact, all conditions have been created for realization of projects of the Southern Gas Corridor, which will connect the Caspian region to Europe. The interests of all existing users of the Turkish gas transportation system, as well as the interests of Azerbaijan have been taken into account in the preparation of the transit agreement, which took about five years, Abdullayev said.
According to him, in late 2011 - early 2012, the partners on Shah Deniz will complete the selection of the pipeline project, which will enable to export Azerbaijani gas to Europe. These projects include ITGI, TAP, Nabucco, and the version proposed by BP, envisaging delivering gas via Turkey to the Balkan countries.