Azerbaijan, Baku, September 19 /Trend, E.Ismayilov/
The Trans-Anatolian gas pipeline (TANAP) will play a significant role in ensuring Europe's energy security, according to an article of Khoshbakht Yusifzade, SOCAR First Vice-President on Geology, Geophysics and Mining published in Respublika newspaper on Thursday.
According to the article, the construction of the new pipeline is planned to start in 2014 and to be completed in 2017.
The TANAP project envisages gas transportation from the Shah Deniz field to Europe via Turkey. The initial capacity is expected to reach 16 billion cubic meters per year. Around six billion cubic meters will be delivered to Turkey and the rest to Europe.
The article said that the consortium for development of the Azerbaijani gas condensate field Shah Deniz chose the Trans-Adriatic pipeline (TAP) project as a route to deliver Azerbaijani gas to Europe. The pipeline is planned to be commissioned in 2019.
"TAP was chosen as a result of an intensive choosing process and this will conclude the first stage in the implementation of the Southern Gas Corridor project," Yusifzade noted.
A consortium of the Azerbaijani Shah Deniz gas condensate field development recently announced its choice of the TAP project as a gas transportation route to European markets.
TAP is designed to transport gas from the Caspian region via Greece and Albania and across the Adriatic Sea to southern Italy and then to Western Europe.
The initial capacity of the TAP pipeline will be 10 billion cubic meters per year with the possibility of expanding to 20 billion cubic meters per year.
TAP shareholders are AXPO (42.5 per cent), Statoil (42.5 per cent) and E.ON Ruhrgas (15 per cent).