Trans-Anatolia gas pipeline in Turkey started

The official ceremony of laying the cornerstone for the construction of Trans-Anatolia gas pipeline (TANAP) has been held today at Turkish province, Kars, Turkish TV channel TRT Haber, reported.

The ceremony was attended by presidents of Turkey and Georgia, Iljham Alijev, Redep Tajip Erdogan, Georgij Margvelasvili, commissionaire of EU, Maros Sevcovic and other officials, the agencies reported.

The pipeline, 1.850 km long was planned for transport of Azerbaijani gas from the Shach Deniz finding through Georgia and Turkey towards the boundaries of Greece and Bulgaria. The TANAP project is estimated at USD 10-11 billion. The first gas quantity of 16 billion cubic meters annually should be pumped in 2018. By 2016, the capacity will increase to planned 31 billion cubic meters annually.

Project participants are State-owned oil company of Azerbaijan (GNKAR), with 58%, British petroleum (BP), with 12% and Turkish national oil and gas company, Botas with 30%.