Azerbaijan, Baku, Feb. 25 / Trend A.Badalova /
The opening of the Southern Gas Corridor is a priority in the European Commission's energy agenda, and this year will be pivotal for the Corridor with the ultimate decision on the pipeline route and the final investment decision on the entire project, EU Energy Commissioner Gunther Oettinger said in an interview with Trend.
"The aim of the Commission has always been to open the Southern Gas Corridor for the EU in order to directly and physically link the EU gas market to the largest deposits of gas in the world in the Caspian Sea basin and the Middle East," Oettinger said.
With regard to the two pipeline options in the EU, pre-selected by the Shah Deniz partners, Oettinger said that the Commission is neutral where the gas ends up in Europe, and the Commission equally supports TAP (Trans Adriatic Pipeline) and Nabucco-West.
"Our policy remains that we firstly, want to see a dedicated pipeline to be built outside the EU, and if its capacity is limited at the start, it should be ensured to legally and technically increase the capacity to transport higher volumes at a later stage when these become available, and secondly, we want a clear and transparent legal framework for the pipeline which would ensure uninterrupted gas supply to the EU," Oettinger said.
"We understand from our contacts with the Turkish and Azerbaijani authorities that TANAP (Trans-Anatolian Gas Pipeline) meets both of these requirements.
Oettinger expressed the confidence that with the recent signatures of Inter-Governmental Agreements for TANAP and TAP, shareholder agreements for Nabucco-West and TAP, the projects, in any eventual configuration, will deliver new gas to the European Union and the Energy Community countries.
The Southern Corridor is one of the EU's priority energy projects aimed at diversifying the routes and sources of energy supply, thereby increasing secure delivery. Gas which will be produced during the second stage of the Azerbaijani Shah Deniz field development is considered as the main source for the Southern Gas Corridor projects.
Currently, the Shah Deniz consortium is considering two variants for its gas transportation to Europe - TAP and Nabucco West. The final decision on the pipeline route will be made in June, 2013.
TANAP project envisages gas transportation from Shah Deniz field to Europe via Turkey. The initial capacity of the pipeline is expected to reach 16 billion cubic meters per year. Around 6 billion cubic meters will be delivered to Turkey, and the rest - to Europe.
