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Turkey Lifts Azeri Gas Imports; EU Supply Under Threat

Turkey Lifts Azeri Gas Imports; EU Supply Under Threat
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Τρι, 19 Απριλίου 2011 - 17:33
Turkey said Tuesday it will increase imports of natural gas from Azerbaijan's Shah Deniz II project, potentially threatening European pipeline projects, including the European Union-backed Nabucco, that hope to secure shipments from the field.
Turkey said Tuesday it will increase imports of natural gas from Azerbaijan's Shah Deniz II project, potentially threatening European pipeline projects, including the European Union-backed Nabucco, that hope to secure shipments from the field.

Turkish state gas and pipeline company Botas said it will begin purchasing gas from Azerbaijan 's Shah Deniz II--the second development phase of the Caspian Sea project operated by BP PLC (BP)--when it comes on stream in 2017 and lift imports to 10 billion cubic meters a year by 2020.

Turkey previously planned yearly imports at six billion cubic meters.

"We expect that we will receive these volumes by 2020," said Levent Ozgul, head of strategy and business development at Botas, said Tuesday. He added that a deal will be signed with Azerbaijan in the first half of this year.

Higher volumes to Turkey from Azerbaijan 's Shah Deniz II could mark another blow to the EU-backed Nabucco pipeline project as it leaves less gas for shipments to Europe .

Three pipeline projects, including Nabucco, are competing to get supplies from Shah Deniz II to send to Europe . Securing Central Asian gas is crucial for the EU's priority of diversifying its energy supply, mainly away from Russia , on whose exports many countries in Eastern Europe are still heavily dependent.

Originally, roughly 10 billion cubic meters of gas per year were expected to flow to Europe from the second stage of Shah Deniz as early as 2017, while six billion cubic meters would flow to Turkey .

Turkey is already buying 6.6 billion cubic meters of gas a year from the first stage of the Shah Deniz development.

In total, production from Shah Deniz is expected to reach 24 billion cubic meters a year, of which eight will come from the first development stage and 16 billion from the second stage.

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