Testing Starts on Western Section of Tanap
Gas injection tests on the 500-km section of the Trans-Anatolian pipeline (Tanap) running from Eskisehir in Turkey to the border with Greece started April 15, the consortium told NGW.
As part of the test, 40mn m3 will be pumped into the gas pipeline, gradually rising to 85mn m³ by June. The 1,340-km Tanap Phase-0, from the Georgian border to Eskisehir in eastern Turkey. started operations in June 2018.
Deliveries of Azerbaijan’s gas to Europe will begin by July 1 as the Greek and Albanian sections of the next leg in the southern gas corridor, the Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP), are almost complete. But four fifths of the capacity has been reserved for shippers into Italy, and that stretch will start operations next year, according to the project operator.
The full 1,850 km span of Tanap will deliver 6bn m3/yr to Turkey and 10bn m3/yr to EU through TAP by 2020. Turkey imported 1bn m3 of Azerbaijan’s gas last year through Tanap and the volume will triple in 2019.
Tanap shareholders are Azeri state Southern Gas Corridor Company (58%), Turkey’s Botas (30%) and UK major BP (12%). TAP shareholders are BP (20%), Azeri state Socar (20%); and three European pipeline operators: Italian Snam (20%), Belgian Fluxys (19%), Spanish Enagas (16%). Swiss utility Axpo, whose idea the TAP line originally was, has 5%.
The shareholders of the second phase of the Azeri gas field Shah Deniz and the South Caucasus Pipeline Extension (together) are BP 28.8%, SGCC 7%, Socar 10%, Turkish Petroleum (19%), Petronas (15.5%), Lukoil (10%) and National Iranian Oil Co (10%).