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Azerbaijan launches natural gas pipeline project to Turkey and Europe

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev inaugurated the project Tuesday at the opening ceremony of the 25th Anniversary International Caspian Oil and Gas Exhibition.The Southern Gas Corridor consists of a network of infrastructure projects designed to improve the security and diversity of the EU’s energy supply by bringing natural gas from the Caspian region to Europe.

The Southern Gas Corridor involves projects crossing seven countries, with a total value of about $40 billion. Those include the Shah Deniz 2 development, which involves offshore gas production in the Caspian Sea; expansion of the gas processing plant at the Sangchal terminal on the Caspian Sea coast in Azerbaijan; and three gas pipeline projects that will provide a continuous route through Azerbaijan, Georgia, Turkey, Greece, Albania and Italy.

The first deliveries of gas from the Shah Deniz field to Georgia and Turkey are expected in late 2018.

The Southern Gas Corridor project is expected to provide 10 Bcm a year of gas to Europe starting in 2020.