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Azerbaijan starts gas exports to Europe through the TAP pipeline

Azerbaijan has started commercial gas supplies to Europe via the Trans-Adriatic Pipeline (TAP), which entered operations in November 2020. The Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) can transport 10 bcm/year of natural gas from the Shah Deniz II field in the Azerbaijani sector of the Caspian Sea to Europe. The 878 km long pipeline connects with the Trans Anatolian Pipeline (TANAP) at the Turkish-Greek border in Kipoi, crosses Greece and Albania and the Adriatic Sea, before coming ashore in Southern Italy. It should deliver 8 bcm/year to Italy and 2 bcm/year to Greece and Bulgaria, reducing Europe's dependence on Russian gas. Snam has a 20% stake in the project, along with BP (20%), Socar (20%), Fluxys (19%), Enagas (16%) and Axpo (EGL) (5%).

In December 2019, Turkey and Azerbaijan formally inaugurated the US$6.5bn Trans-Anatolian Natural Gas Pipeline (TANAP) gas interconnector. The 1,850-km-long gas pipeline stretches between the Turkish Posof district of Ardahan and the Greek border in the Ipsala district of Edirne. Designed to have an initial capacity of 16 bcm/year, the TANAP pipeline is aimed at delivering 6 bcm/year of gas to the Turkish market and 10 bcm/year to Europe. The Southern Gas Corridor (SGC, a joint venture of SOCAR with 49% and the Ministry of Economy of Azerbaijan with 51%) holds a 51% interest in TANAP, in partnership with Turkey's Petroleum Pipeline Corporation (BOTAŞ) (30%), BP (12%) and SOCAR (7%).