The ceremony of laying the foundation of the South gas corridor

Ceremony of the South  Gas Corridor to bring gas from Azerbaijan through Georgia to Turkey and from there to Europe was held in Baku. This is a new gas pipeline to be built from Azerbaijan to Georgia parallel to the existing pipeline Baku-Tbilisi-Erzurum gas pipeline. In Georgia (Gardabani) new pipeline will be connected to the pump station and an existing gas infrastructure, gas will go to Turkey. Future pipeline TANAP (Trans) will deliver large volumes of gas to Bulgaria and then through Greece and Albania to Italy (TAP -Transadriatic pipeline.) Opening ceremony with the participation of government and public delegations from more than 10 countries, President Ilham Aliyev said today lays down of the next energy mega-project, which will seriously affect a significant impact on the fate of many countries and the entire region.

This pipeline will be a factor of energy security in Europe, will have a positive impact on the economy and welfare of the countries through which it passes.  Azerbaijan's role in ensuring the energy security of Europe will increase." Proven natural gas reserves in Azerbaijan make up 2.5 trillion cubic meters, and projected - 4.5 trillion cube," he said.

Bulgarian President Rosen Plevneliev said that the issue of fuel supply from Eastern Europe remains "weak point." The ongoing crisis in Ukraine showed how many vulnerable countries in the region. "Bulgaria plans to buy one billion cubic meters of gas through the Southern Gas Corridor, which will give impetus to the economy, and the overall development of the country. At the same time, Bulgaria will become an anchor in the country, where the pipeline would go in several directions," he said and added that Sofia was in favor of further expansion of gas infrastructure and the implementation of a global project Nabucco.

Prime Minister of Georgia Irakli Garibashvili noted that his country actively participates in and supports regional energy projects. South  gas corridor will further strengthen the energy security of the country and to increase the role of Georgia as a transit country. Tbilisi has proposed for the implementation of the Trans-Caspian gas pipeline and also that will deliver Turkmen gas to European markets, he said.

Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras said, that his country will pass through 275 km of pipeline TAP, through which gas will go further. At the same time Greece will buy 275 million cubic meters of gas annually. Speakers further representatives of Montenegro, Turkey, Norway, Albania, Italy, Great Britain and the United States have noted the historical significance of this project, which will become part of the unified energy system in Europe.

Chef British oil giant BP Robert Dudley noted that the total length of the South  gas corridor will be 3,600 km. That will affect the lives of millions of people. BP is proud to have taken part in it, and the company's cooperation with Azerbaijan in the framework of existing contracts will run until 2048. With a total investment of BP in Azerbaijan 30 billion dollars. President of the State Oil Company of Azerbaijan SOCAR Rovnag Abdullayev said that the new gas pipe from the field "Shah Deniz" will come to Turkey in 2018, and in Europe - in 2019 m. According to him, the total investment in the framework of the gas infrastructure projects will be 45 billion dollars.

Azerbaijan plans to export to Europe annually 16 billion cube of gas and bring these volumes to 20 billion cube.-02В-