Trend, Azerbaijan
Oct 29 2011
Azerbaijan and Turkey to lay new pipeline to export Caspian gas
27 October 2011, 20:11 (GMT+05:00) 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.