Tripartite gas pipeline project launched in Turkey

Turkey, Georgia and Azerbaijan on Tuesday launched the construction of a new gas pipeline which will carry natural gas from Azerbaijan to Europe via Turkish territory, the local NTV news channel reported.

The trans-Anatolia gas pipeline (TANAP) is expected to link up with the planned trans-Adriatic pipeline, brining gas from Turkey to Greece, Albania and across the Adriatic to Italy. It's part of the southern gas corridor that links Turkey to Azerbaijani gas fields in the Caspian Sea through Georgia.

TANAP is estimated to cost more than 10 billion U.S. dollars and scheduled to be completed by the end of 2018. It's part of Europe's efforts to diversify energy resources and reduce dependence on Russian gas.

Once completed, it will transport 16 billion cubic meters of gas annually, which will be gradually increased to 31 billion.

The construction of the Turkish leg of TANAP starts in Kars in northeastern Turkey. At the kick-off ceremony, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he believed this project would not only deliver gas, but also peace and stability in the region.

However, Russian envoy to the European Union, Vladimir Chizov, earlier expressed doubts about TANAP, saying it's "extremely challenging from a technical point of view" and "exorbitantly expensive." Endit