TAP MD Welcomes TANAP Agreement
The managing director of the Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) has welcomed the signing of an intergovernmental agreement between Turkey and Azerbaijan on the Trans-Anatolian pipeline (TANAP).
In a statement released today, TAP MD Kjetil Tungland said the sigining was important both for the supply of gas through Turkey to Europe and for the Trans Adriatic Pipeline.
"The signing of this agreement is a significant and very timely step forward," he said. "Caspian gas will now have a dedicated route across Turkey to the European Union, and that is good news for TAP.
"As the Shah Deniz consortium’s chosen project for the southern route into Europe, via Greece, Albania and Italy, we welcome the contribution that this development brings to opening up the Southern Gas Corridor."
The $7 billion intergovernmental agreement was signed on TANAP yesterday, between Azeri President Ilham Aliyev and Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The signing gives support to the transport of gas from the Shah Deniz field, in amounts of approximately 16 billion cubic metres a year.
Mr. Tungland also said that the TAP consortium was still confident that it would be the winning choice for the northern leg of Shah Deniz transport.
"We now look forward to the consortium’s announcement of its preferred bidder for the northern route, and ultimately to the decision on which of the two options will connect with TANAP," he said. "We remain confident that the economic, commercial, technical and strategic advantages of our project will see a decision in our favour.”