Azerbaijan, Baku, Nov. 22 / Trend A.Badalova /
The Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) continues dialogue with Trans-Anatolian gas pipeline (TANAP) project on technical cooperation, a TAP official told Trend.
"TAP continues a regular and positive dialogue with TANAP with regards to technical cooperation," Lisa Givert, Head of Communications at TAP project wrote Trend in an e-mail.
Givert stressed that TAP welcomes the ratification of agreement on TANAP by Azerbaijani Parliament and sees it as an important step forward in the development of the Southern Gas Corridor.
This week the Azerbaijani Parliament ratified an agreement on the construction of a separate gas pipeline to transport gas to Turkey through its territory, as well as an agreement on TANAP between the governments of Azerbaijan and Turkey.
TANAP project envisages construction of the pipeline from the eastern border of Turkey to the country's western border to supply gas from Azerbaijani Shah Deniz gas field to Europe through Turkey. The initial capacity of the pipeline is expected to reach 16 billion cubic meters a year. About six billion cubic meters will be delivered to Turkey, and the rest - to Europe.
On June, 26 Azerbaijan and Turkey signed an intergovernmental agreement on TANAP implementation.
At present, a 20 per cent share in TANAP belongs to Turkish BOTAS, 80 per cent and the State Oil Company of Azerbaijan (SOCAR). Earlier SOCAR partners on the project of developing Shah Deniz field have voiced their preliminary intentions to acquire a stake in TANAP project. According to the preliminary data, the partners intend to distribute a 29 per cent share in TANAP as follows: Statoil and BP - 12 per cent, Total - five per cent.
TAP project is designed to transport gas from the Caspian region via Greece and Albania and across the Adriatic Sea to southern Italy and further into Western Europe. Gas to be produced within the second phase of Azerbaijani Shah Deniz gas condensate field development is considered as the main source for TAP.
TAP's initial pipeline capacity will be 10 billion cubic metres per year, expandable to 20 billion cubic metres per year. TAP's shareholders are EGL of Switzerland (42.5 percent), Norway's Statoil (42.5 percent) and E.ON Ruhrgas of Germany (15 percent).