Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, Aug. 13
By Huseyn Hasanov– Trend:
An international consortium of European companies comprising Edison Technologies, MMEC Mannesmann, Air Liquide Global E&C Solutions and the Chinese SINOPEC Engineering Group expressed its readiness to implement the Trans-Caspian gas pipeline project, Trend reports referring to Orient News.
According to the report, adviser to the president of Turkmenistan on oil and gas issues Yagsygeldy Kakayev met with representatives of the consortium.
"Each company in our consortium owns unique technology," Edison CEO Edison Kasapoglu said, the report read. He noted that existence of the consortium gives the opportunity to "implement such a bold project as a gas pipeline from Turkmenistan to Azerbaijan along the bottom of the Caspian Sea."
The report noted that the consortium offered its services in laying a pipeline along the Caspian Sea with a length of 300 kilometers as well as in the construction of gas compression stations and related infrastructure for drilling wells and cleaning raw materials.
"The European market is interested in the project, and we consider it a great step to return to the promising Caspian region again," the representative said.
Earlier it was reported that Brussels and Ashgabat are preparing draft legal framework agreement on the future gas supplies from Turkmenistan to Europe.
The basis for the corresponding work is the declaration on the development of cooperation in the field of energy among Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan, Turkey and the EU signed on May 1, 2015.
Turkmenistan is exploring the possibility of bringing its energy resources to the European market, including through the implementation of the Trans-Caspian gas pipeline project within the Southern Gas Corridor lobbied by the EU.
A 300-kilometer gas pipeline is to be laid along the Caspian seabed to the shores of Azerbaijan for the project to become a reality. The legal status of the Caspian Sea, after twenty years of the negotiations among the Caspian countries, was finally approved in 2018.
Turkmenistan declared its readiness to supply up to 40 billion cubic meters of gas to Europe annually.
Earlier, Turkmen officials said that the EU has expressed its willingness to help attract investments in the implementation of this project. The East-West gas pipeline, connecting the gas-rich eastern regions of Turkmenistan with the western regions of the country, the Caspian Sea coast, was commissioned in 2015.
Oil and gas resources are being developed in the Turkmen part of the Caspian Sea at accelerated pace. With the participation of foreign investors, four projects are being implemented offshore and three onshore.