Trans-Anatolian gas pipeline

Trans-Anatolian Natural Gas Pipeline
Map of Trans-Anatolian Natural Gas Pipeline
Location
Country	Turkey
General information
Type	Natural gas
Owner	TANAP project company
Partners	SOCAR (58%) BOTAŞ (30%) BP (12%)
Operator	SOCAR
Construction started	2015
Expected	2018
Technical information
Length	1,841 km (1,144 mi)
Maximum discharge	16×10^9 m3 (570×10^9 cu ft) per year
Website	http://www.tanap.com/

The Trans-Anatolian Natural Gas Pipeline (TANAP; Turkish: Trans-Anadolu Doğalgaz Boru Hattı) is a natural gas pipeline from Azerbaijan through Georgia and Turkey to Europe. It will be a central part of the Southern Gas Corridor, which will connect the giant Shah Deniz gas field in Azerbaijan to Europe through the South Caucasus Pipeline (SCP), TANAP and the Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP).

This project is of strategic importance for both Azerbaijan and Turkey. It will allow the first Azerbaijani gas exports to Europe, beyond Turkey. It will also strengthen the role of Turkey as a regional energy hub.

Construction of the pipeline began formally in March 2015 and is expected to be completed in 2018.

The project was announced on 17 November 2011 at the Third Black Sea Energy and Economic Forum in Istanbul. On 26 December 2011, Turkey and Azerbaijan signed a memorandum of understanding establishing a consortium to build and operate the pipeline.

In spring 2012, the process of conducting the technical-economic feasibility study was launched. On 26 June 2012, President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev and then Prime Minister of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdoğan signed a binding intergovernmental agreement on the pipeline. On March 17, 2015, both Erdogan and Aliyev met with Giorgi Margvelashvili, President of Georgia, in the city of Kars in Eastern Turkey to formally lay the foundations for the pipeline and marking the work as started.

The pipeline is expected to cost US$10-11 billion. The construction is planned to start in 2015 and to be completed by 2018.

The planned capacity of the pipeline would be 16 billion cubic metres (570 billion cubic feet) of natural gas per year at initial stage and would be increased later up to 23 billion cubic metres (810 billion cubic feet) by 2023, 31 billion cubic metres (1.1 trillion cubic feet) by 2026, and at the final stage 60 billion cubic metres (2.1 trillion cubic feet) to be able to transport additional gas supplies from Azerbaijan and, if the Trans-Caspian Gas Pipeline, from Turkmenistan. Its capacity would be increased by adding parallel loops and compressor stations according to the increase of available supplies. It is not decided yet if the pipeline will use 48-or-56-inch (1,200 or 1,400 mm) pipes.