The Azerbaijani Minister for Industry and Energy, Natig Aliyev, believes that the Trans-Caspian Pipeline to transport Turkmen gas to Europe will be built in the near future. About 300 km of the pipeline will run from the Turkmen to the Azerbaijani coast of the Caspian Sea. It would then be connected with the Southern Gas Corridor, the minister reckons, Reuters reports.
Turkmenistan and the EU have been negotiating construction of such a pipeline since the late 1990s. The EU has granted a mandate to negotiate the conclusion of a deal on the Trans-Caspian Pipeline with Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan in September 2011.
Russia and Iran say that the project cannot be realized due to high ecological risks.
The EU Ambassador to Azerbaijan, Roland Kobia, told Vestnik Kavkaza that it is a commercial issue, not a political one, and concerns only the states planning to realize it. The European Union says that Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan do not need other states’ opinion to build the pipeline.
Azerbaijan does not want to spoil relations with Russia and Iran. Natig Aliyev noted that Azerbaijan plans to increase annual gas shipments by over 30 billion cubic meters before 2030. Gas exports may reach 50 billion cubic meters.
The second phase of the Shah Deniz field development may yield 30 billion cubic meters of gas annually. Other sources may increase output as well.
