Azerbaijan Has Started to Supply Europe with Gas

Azerbaijan has started commercial exploitation of the Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) to supply natural gas from the Shah Deniz gas field into Europe. The pipeline is a part of the Southern Gas Corridor into Europe ТАР that goes from Baku to Italy. Under the project, Azerbaijan is planning to transport 10 billion cubic meters of gas per year into Europe over the next 25 years.

According to the country’s Ministry of Energy, 8 billion cubic meters of gas is intended for Italy and another two billion cubic meters of gas will be exported to Greece and Bulgaria, Russian newspaper Kommersant reports. The rest of the natural gas will be supplied to neighboring markets, according to official plans from Baku.

«We reached the strategic goal of the South Gas Corridor when we have started commercial supplies of the Azerbaijani natural gas into Europe by Trans Adriatic Pipeline… This new channel of gas supply is not just a reliable and commercially attractive source of energy for European consumers, but also an effective tool for further decarbonization. It connects the entire continent with the Caspian Sea region,» the ministry said. 

The construction of the TAP started in 2016 and lasted until October 2020 with the costs of €4.5 billion. The total length of the pipeline is 878 kilometers. Because of the extra carrying capacity, the current output of the pipeline can be increased to 20 billion cubic meters of gas per year.