Europe will start to receive gas from Azerbaijan through the Southern Gas Corridor from the end of 2019, the head of SOCAR (State Oil Company of Azerbaijan) Rovnag Abdullayev reported today in a speech at a reception dedicated to the Day of Oil Workers in Baku.
He explained that at all stages of the Southern Gas Corridor project works are being carried out ahead of schedule. "I think there will be no problems with the start of deliveries of Azerbaijani gas on time. In the first half of 2018 we will deliver our gas to Turkey and at the end of 2019 to Europe," Trend quoted Abdullayev as saying.
The head of SOCAR told that about 20 thousand people are presently involved in the SGC project. He explained that now they are working to expand the pipeline. Compressor stations are being created in Georgia. Turkey has started welding works at the construction of Trans-Anatolian Pipeline (TANAP), pipes are actively being supplied there. In addition, despite some of the political difficulties, Europe has started work on construction of the Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP).
Abdullayev stressed that SOCAR is implementing all of its projects, regardless of the financial difficulties caused by falling oil prices. In particular, negotiations with investors on the OGPS project are being carried out successfully. All the issues concerning the beginning of construction and modernization of Baku's Oil Refinery named after Heydar Aliyev have been resolved, thanks to which the production of oil can be brought up to 7.5 million tons per year and eventually move to the ecological standard Euro-5.
"Also, actual work on the construction of a carbamide factory in Sumgait have started. Finally, the financing of SOCAR has also launched the Polymer project, which will allow us to create factories for the production of polyethylene and polypropylene by the end of 2017," the head of SOCAR noted.
