(MENAFN- Trend News Agency)
BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 7. Türkiye and
Azerbaijan have agreed to double the capacity of the
Trans-Anatolian Natural gas Pipeline (TANAP), a key project
carrying Natural gas from Azerbaijan's gas fields to Turkish
markets and eventually to Europe, energy and Natural Resources
Minister of Türkiye Fatih Donmez said, reports citing
.
He said they expected to double the current transmission
capacity of 16 billion cubic meters (bcm) of gas a year“in the
short term.”
Launched in mid-2018, TANAP is dubbed the backbone and comprises
the longest stretch of the $40 billion multinational Southern Gas
Corridor (SGC), a series of pipelines that carry gas from
Azerbaijan's Shah Deniz II field to Europe.
The $6.5 billion pipeline crosses the breadth of Türkiye, east
to west, and can transport up to 16 bcm of Azeri gas a year. Europe
is allocated 10 bcm, with 6 bcm earmarked for the Turkish
market.
The pipeline connects to the Trans-Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) at
the Türkiye-Greece border, transferring gas to Greece, Albania and
Italy.
Officials earlier said that TANAP's capacity could be increased
to more than 30 bcm with additional investment.
“After a short period, God willing, we will have doubled the
current capacity to 32 billion cubic meters,” Donmez told a joint
press conference with his Azerbaijani counterpart Parviz Shahbazov
in Istanbul.
He stressed that the increase will benefit Türkiye and also
contribute to securing energy supplies in Europe.
TANAP aims to diversify gas supplies to Europe and reduce
countries' dependence on Russia.
The sharp drop in supplies from Russia, which previously
supplied about 40% of the European Union's gas needs, has left
governments scrambling to find alternative energy resources and has
prompted fears of possible power cuts and a recession.
Russia has reduced or cut off natural gas supplies to many
nations as European governments bolstered their support for Ukraine
in the form of weapons, money, aid and sanctions on Moscow.
The potential for shortages has led to surging gas and
electricity prices that could climb higher as demand peaks during
the winter months.
Donmez said joint projects between Türkiye and Azerbaijan
contribute to ensuring energy security, an issue emphasized by the
two countries' leaders.
For his part, Shahbazov said strong Azerbaijani-Turkish energy
cooperation is a“historic necessity.”
“This cooperation is the guarantor of safe and sustainable
energy supplies at the regional and European levels,” he added.
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