The Southern Gas Corridor is strategically important for the EU's energy security as it helps diversify energy supplies and routes, according to a statement of the European Commission Vice President Maros Sefcovic in charge of the Energy Union.
The statement follows the official launch of Phase 0 of Trans Anatolian Natural Gas Pipeline (TANAP) in Turkey's Eskisehir province on Tuesday, June 12.
"Today, [Tuesday with Phase 0 launch] we are turning intentions into reality and delivering another tangible result under the Energy Union," Sefcovic said.
TANAP together with the South Caucasus Pipeline (SCP) and the Trans-Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) is an essential part of the Southern Gas Corridor, the statement said.
Sefcovic said that by helping diversify energy suppliers and routes, the Southern Gas Corridor is strategically important for the EU's energy security, including the most vulnerable parts, such as southeast Europe and southern Italy.
"Our long-term objective is to create a pan-European energy market based on free trade, competition and diversified supplies, sources and routes. This shows that the Energy Union does not stop at the EU's borders and it has a strong external dimension. Only like this it can be truly resilient," he added.
"We all stand to gain from this 'bridge' between the Caspian region and the EU market [via TANAP]. It is in our joint interest to make it a success," Sefcovic said.
The Southern Gas Corridor consists of the Shah Deniz gas field, the SCP and its expansion through Azerbaijan and Georgia to Turkey, the construction of the TANAP through Turkey to Greece and the construction of the TAP through Greece, Albania and the Adriatic Sea to Southern Italy.
The 1,850-kilometer-long TANAP is the largest section of the 3,500-kilometer-long Southern Gas Corridor, the Azerbaijani section of which was officially inaugurated on May 29 during a ceremony held in Baku with the participation of Azerbaijan's president.
TANAP, with around $8 billion of investment, will deliver 6 billion cubic meters of Azeri gas to Turkey and 10 billion cubic meters to Europe per year. The European part of the project is expected to become operational in 2020.
"I trust that the construction of the TAP, a European section of the Southern Gas Corridor, will continue to progress also thanks to the continuous support of the three national governments involved [Greece, Albania, and Italy] so that Caspian gas reaches the EU by 2020," Sefcovic said.
"It will bring significant benefits to its host, transit and destination countries, including their local communities – in terms of investment, jobs as well as lower energy prices for consumers and transitioning to low-carbon economies," he concluded.
(Αnadolu Agency, 13/06/2018)
