ANKARA
The gas pipeline project that will carry Azerbaijani natural gas to Europe through Turkey will create five thousand Turkish jobs. The project will also boost the national and local economies that the pipeline will pass through on Turkish soil with $30 billion.
The Trans Anatolia Natural Gas Pipeline, Tanap, will transport the natural gas to be produced in Azerbaijan's Shah Sea 2 field through Turkey to Europe until the end of 2018. The project has strategic importance for Europe, which will decrease European reliance on Russian energy supplied by Gazprom, Russian gas giant, and diversify energy routes.
The pipeline will create at around 5,000 jobs in 21 Turkish districts that it will pass through and $30 billion will be spent in the next four years mainly for construction activities, said Turkish Energy Minister Taner Yildiz on Thursday during a press conference in Ankara.
The Turkish part of the pipeline will require approximately 1,800 km long and two million tons of steel piping. Six among the 18 suppliers of steel piping are Turkish firms and the construction work and steel production is expected to create jobs and stimulus for local economies.
An energy-hungry Turkey will receive six billion cubic meters of natural gas while 10 billion cubic meters, equal to about 1.5 percent of Europe’s total consumption, will flow to Europe.
Turkey, dependent on expensive energy imports, tries to secure and diversify energy routes to keep its steadily growing economy moving forward.
"Turkey will increase its stake in the project by around 30 percent by buying equities from the other stakeholders like British Petroleum-BP, Azerbaijani gas company-Socar and Norway’s Statoil", said the minister.
englshnews@aa.com.tr
