Southern Gas Corridor’s construction ahead of schedule – Azerbaijani minister

The construction of the Southern Gas Corridor, which will transport the Caspian gas to Europe, is going ahead of schedule, Azerbaijani Energy Minister Natig Aliyev told Sputnik International media brand.

"The works will be completed in 2019. Our goal is to deliver extra 6 billion cubic meters to Turkey and the following year, in 2020, to deliver 10 billion to Europe," Aliyev said.

The minister added that the pipeline would provide an alternative source of natural gas for Europe but underscored that it was hardly comparable with the volumes of Russian gas purchased by EU countries.

The Southern Gas Corridor is considered to be a priority energy project for Europe. It envisages transportation of gas from the Caspian region through Georgia and Turkey to Europe. This large project aims at diversifying the routes and sources of energy supply that will enhance the energy security of Europe.

At the initial stage, the gas to be produced as part of the second phase of development of Azerbaijani gas condensate Shah Deniz field is considered as the main source for the Southern Gas Corridor project.

The gas to be produced as part of the Stage 2 of the field's development will be exported to Turkey and to the European markets by means of expanding the South Caucasus Pipeline and construction of the Trans-Anatolian Gas Pipeline (TANAP) and the Trans-Adriatic Pipeline (TAP). (Trend.az)