Russian expert: Conditions for TANAP are better than for Russian North and South streams

Baku.11 June. REPORT.AZ/ "TANAP Project is very successful. It will allow to expand the financial opportunities of Azerbaijan”. Report was told by Russian expert Daria Grevtsova, commenting on exploitation of the TRANS-Anatolian gas pipeline (TANAP), scheduled for June 12.

According to her, TANAP will allow to increase the income received by the country and "it is quite natural that these products will come to the markets of the EU countries, because the Eurozone is a large number of economically active people, a very developed economy and a great need for energy resources."

D. Grevtsova noted that Russia is also extremely interested in supplying its energy resources to the markets of the European Union: "As you know, now Russia is building a second line of North stream, Turkish stream, and supplies oil through the Druzhba oil pipeline, but, nevertheless, it is necessary to congratulate Azerbaijan on the great economic victory. How is this related to Russia's interests? Of course, Azerbaijani gas competes with Russian one, but Azerbaijan and Russia are extremely wise. The European Union would like Azerbaijan and Russia to compete hard, thereby reducing the prices of energy resources which two countries provide the Eurozone states. However, Russia and Azerbaijan prefer to coordinate their policies in order not to lead the supply of their resources to severe competition and not to reduce the price for them. That is why cooperation between Russia and Azerbaijan is extremely necessary. Ideally, the two powers should form a joint pool in order to agree and maximize the prices of energy supplies together to get more profit for their companies and the budget."

The Russian expert also stressed that the conditions for TANAP are better than the conditions for the Russian "Northern" and "Southern" streams, because the EU countries do not consider Azerbaijan as a geopolitical threat: "That is why they are trying to apply such entitled European energy package against Russia, but for Azerbaijan exceptions have been made, which, of course, is a manifestation of the skillful diplomatic policy of the President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev."

Notably, TANAP is a pipeline, which will transport the gas produced by development of second phase of Azerbaijan's 'Shah Deniz' field in the Caspian Sea to Turkey and then to Europe. TANAP, which is the branch of the Southern Gas Corridor project, is being constructed in the territory of Turkey. The pipeline will connect to Trans-Adriatic Pipeline (TAP), designed to transport Azerbaijani gas to Europe through Turkey-Greece border. On March 17, 2015, groundbreaking ceremony of the TANAP was held in Kars, Turkey with participation of Azerbaijani, Turkish and Georgian Presidents. Initial capacity of the pipeline, which is planned to be put into operation in 2018, will be 16 billion cum/year. About 6 billion cum of this gas will be delivered to Turkey, the remaining to Europe. The TANAP pipeline will have two starting points in Turkish provinces Eskişehir and Thrace. The sale of gas in Turkey will be carried out by BOTAS. The total length of the pipeline is 1 850 km. 19 km section of the pipeline will pass through the Sea of Marmara.

"TANAP is being constructed in two phases. Phase-0 is of 56 inches diameter and 1 334 km long. Construction works in this phase are being carried out on the route starting from Turkish-Georgian border stretching to Eskişehir.. "Phase-1" consists of the pipeline with a diameter of 48 inches and length of 476 km, Phase-1 will be ready to accept gas for Europe by the end of 2019.