The Trans-Anatolian Pipeline (TANAP), together with the South Caucasus Pipeline and the Trans-Adriatic Pipeline (TAP), is an essential part of the Southern Gas Corridor. It is also the longest part of this infrastructure project. Today therefore marks a key milestone, as Caspian gas can now flow to Turkey on a commercial basis. On the occasion of the official opening of the TANAP in Eskişehir, the European Commission Vice President Maroš Šefčovič in charge of the Energy Union said:

"Today, we are turning intentions into reality and delivering another tangible result under the Energy Union.

By helping diversify our energy suppliers and routes, the Southern Gas Corridor is strategically important for the EU's energy security, including in the most vulnerable parts, such as South-East Europe and Southern Italy. 

We all stand to gain from this 'bridge' between the Caspian region and the EU market. It is in our joint interest to make it a success.

Our long-term objective is to create a pan-European energy market based on free trade, competition and diversified supplies, sources and routes. This shows that the Energy Union does not stop at the EU's borders and it has a strong external dimension. Only like this it can be truly resilient.

I trust that the construction of the TAP, a European section of the Southern Gas Corridor, will continue to progress also thanks to the continuous support of the three national governments involved, so that Caspian gas reaches the EU by 2020. It will bring significant benefits to its host, transit and destination countries, including their local communities – in terms of investment, jobs as well as lower energy prices for consumers and transitioning to low-carbon economies."  

Background:

The Southern Gas Corridor at present consists of the following components: i) the Shah Deniz gas field; ii) the South Caucasus Pipeline and its expansion through Azerbaijan and Georgia to Turkey; iii) the construction of the Trans-Anatolian Pipeline (TANAP) through Turkey to Greece; and iv) the construction of the Trans-Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) through Greece, Albania and the Adriatic Sea to Southern Italy.

The project will contribute to the EU's objective of diversification of gas sources, one of the Energy Union's long-standing objectives and key drivers. Its importance has been repeatedly confirmed by the European Commission and EU Member States, most recently during the Eastern Partnership Summit in November 2017 and during the Advisory Council ministerial meeting in Baku in February 2018.  

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