TANAP is fully ready to deliver natural gas to Europe from July 1

Baku, July 2 - Neftegaz.RU. The Trans Anatolian Natural Gas Pipeline (TANAP), the major segment of the Southern Gas Corridor is ready to supply Azerbaijani gas directly to Europe from July 1, 2019. After completion of the Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP), the last section of SGC, the natural gas produced from Azerbaijan’s Shah Deniz 2 field will be delivered to Europe via TANAP and TAP, adding to the country’s income and making an important contribution to the European energy security.

TANAP is now the longest and widest natural gas pipeline in Turkey, Middle East and Europe, one of the most important projects of long-term strategic energy cooperation between Turkey and Azerbaijan, is complete. The 1850-km pipeline begins in the Turkish Posof district of Ardahan, runs through 20 provinces, 67 districts and 600 villages and reaches Europe at the Greek border in the Ipsala district of Edirne, is ready to deliver the 1st gas to Europe via TAP on the border of Turkey and Greece from July 1, 2019.

TANAP is the most important link of the Southern Gas Corridor, designed to transport gas produced from Azerbaijan’s Shah Deniz-2 field initially to Turkey and onwards to Europe. The section of pipeline from the Turkish border with Georgia until Eskişehir of Turkey was launched in an international opening ceremony on June 12, 2018 with the flow of commercial gas to Turkey from June 30, 2018.

The final mechanical work in the pipeline between Eskişehir and the Turkish-Greek border was completed at the end of 2018 with the 1st test pumping held in April 2019. TANAP, which is now fully ready to transport natural gas to Europe, is the longest and widest natural gas pipeline in Turkey, Middle East and Europe. Next year, after the completion of TAP which connects with TANAP on the Turkish-Greek border, Azerbaijan will start delivering gas to European markets.

Rovnag Abdullayev, President of SOCAR, said: “The Southern Gas Corridor and TANAP is reality now... During the implementation of TANAP, SOCAR and its partners saved about $5 billion, reducing the overall cost of the project by 40%.

TANAP stakeholders are Southern Gas Corridor, a joint venture of SOCAR (49%) and the Ministry of Economy of Azerbaijan (51%), BOTAS (30%), BP (12%) and SOCAR Turkey Energy (7%).