The capacity of the Trans-Anatolian Natural Gas Pipeline (TANAP) that carries natural gas from Azerbaijan to Türkiye and further on to Europe was increased, contributing to the energy partnership between Ankara and Baku while putting Türkiye in a hub position, a high-level Azerbaijani official said.

Reşad Mammadov, ambassador of Azerbaijan to Ankara told Anadolu Agency (AA) that 22.2 billion cubic meters (bcm) of gas are expected to be exported this year via the pipeline, with 10.2 bcm destined for Türkiye and 12 bcm for Europe.

He emphasized the successful connection of the Caspian Sea to Türkiye through the integration of TANAP, which began operations on June 12, 2018, to the Baku-Tbilisi-Erzurum Natural Gas Pipeline. Mammadov highlighted that this integration has bolstered Türkiye's energy security and facilitated Azerbaijan's gas sales to international markets.

Noting that the total investment cost of the Baku-Tbilisi-Erzurum, TANAP and Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) stretching from Azerbaijan to Italy is $40 billion, Mammadov said, TANAP is one of the most strategic steps taken so far in order to increase the resource diversity of Europe and Türkiye in natural gas.

Thanks to this project, Türkiye-Azerbaijan energy cooperation, which started in the period of Azerbaijan’s founding leader, Heydar Aliyev, has moved to a new dimension, he said.

Mammadov stated that a total of 46 bcm of gas have been transported, with 22 bcm delivered to Türkiye and 24 bcm to Europe since TANAP began operations.

Mammadov emphasized the substantial growth in volume, stating, "The new figures clearly demonstrate a significant increase in capacity."

According to the "Natural Gas Market 2022 Sector Report" of the Turkish Energy Market Regulatory Authority (EPDK), gas shipments from Azerbaijan to Türkiye amounted to 8.7 bcm in 2022. Increasing the gas shipment in question to 10.2 bcm this year means an increase of approximately 1.5 bcm on an annual basis.

Mammadov also underlined the importance of TANAP's plan to double the transmission capacity from the current 16 bcm, as it will significantly contribute to Türkiye's aspiration to become a leading "natural gas hub."

He said, "Increasing the capacity to 32 bcm will allow the gas of both Azerbaijan and different states to be sent to European states through that pipeline. This will increase the role of Azerbaijan and Türkiye in the energy security of Europe.

Stating that with the TANAP project, Türkiye has ceased to be an energy corridor between the east and the west and has reached the level of an "energy hub."

Mammadov said, "With TANAP, Azerbaijan conveyed its energy to the West with a reliable partner, while Türkiye gained a reliable partner for its energy security and the European Union. It played a critical role in the energy security of Türkiye."

$20B investment

Meanwhile, regarding Azerbaijan's investments in Türkiye’s energy sector, Mammadov said, "In addition to these mega projects, the bilateral investment amount of Azerbaijan's state company SOCAR to the energy sector in Türkiye is around $20 billion. It is one of the suppliers of gas and petroleum products and has extensive cooperation with Turkish companies, Turkish Petroleum (TPAO) and BOTAŞ."

Drawing attention to the cooperation between SOCAR and TPAO in the exploration and production of hydrocarbon deposits, Mammadov said that TPAO is interested in Şafak-Asiman, Karabakh and some other projects in Azerbaijan.

Pointing out that the construction of a natural gas pipeline between Türkiye’s Iğdır and Azerbaijan's Nakhchivan region is among the future projects, Mammadov said, "Necessary steps for the implementation of this project, whose foundations were laid with the memorandum of understanding signed in 2020 and which will have a gas transport volume of 500 million cubic meters per year will be taken."