On March 13, a Shareholder Agreement for Trans Anatolian Natural Gas Pipeline (TANAP), which plans to carry the natural gas produced from Azerbaijan’s Shah Deniz II field in the Caspian Sea to Turkey and then to Europe through Turkey, was signed in Ankara.

The signing ceremony was attended by Taner Yıldız, Minister of Energy and Natural Resources of Turkey; Rövnag Abdullayev, President of the State Oil Company of Azerbaijan (SOCAR); Gordon Birrell, BP’s Regional President for Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey; Mehmet Konuk, General Manager of BOTAS; Vagif Aliyev, Member of the Board of Directors of TANAP; Saltuk Duzyol, General Manager of TANAP; and Afgan İsayev, General Director of the Southern Gas Corridor Closed Joint Stock Company. The agreement was signed by Turkey’s Energy and Natural Resources Minister Taner Yıldız, SOCAR President Rovnag Abdullayev, TANAP General Manager Saltuk Duzyol, BP’s Regional President for Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey Gordon Birrell, and BOTAŞ Deputy General Manager Mehmet Konuk. Consequently, BP has officially become a partner in the TANAP.

As a significant project for providing supply diversification and ensuring the energy supply security of Turkey and European Union countries, the Trans-Anatolian Natural Gas Pipeline Project’s shareholding percentages will be as follows, after the process of acquisition of shares is completed: Southern Gas Corridor Closed Joint Stock Company (SGC) - 58 percent, BOTAS - 30 percent, and BP - 12 percent.

Within the scope of the TANAP project, gas flow to Turkey is planned to launch in 2018. The initial capacity will be 16 billion cubic meters per year which will be gradually increased to 24 billion cubic meters and then 31 billion cubic meters. 1850 kilometer long TANAP line will be connected to the Trans Adriatic Natural Gas Pipeline (TAP) and to deliver natural gas from the South Caucasus Pipeline (SCP) to Europe through Greece, Albania and Italy as of early 2020. TANAP has been designed to run from the Turkish village of Türkgözü in the Posof district of Ardahan on the Turkish-Georgian border, pass through 20 provinces, 67 districts and 600 villages from Ardahan, Kars, Erzurum, Erzinjan, Bayburt, Gumushane, Giresun, Sivas, Yozgat, Kirshehir, Kirikkale, Ankara, Eskishehir, Bilejik, Kutahya, Bursa, Balikesir, Chanakkale, Tekirdagh and Edirne until the Ipsala district of Edirne along the Turkish-Greek border, and from this point, it will be linked to the Trans-Adriatic Pipeline (TAP). 80 percent of this pipeline will be supplied by Turkish manufacturers within the scope of the Main Line Pipes Purchase Contracts signed last October. Besides, according to the Onshore Pipeline Construction Contracts signed last December, the 56-inch part of the line, which runs for 1334 kilometers from The Turkish-Georgian border to Eskishehir, will be built in 3 lots by a group of companies with a majority of Turkish and Azerbaijani contractors.

About TANAP

The Trans-Anatolian Natural Gas Pipeline (TANAP) project represents one of the most significant shared projects between Turkey and Azerbaijan in the energy field, given the success of the projects carried out. The historical fraternal bonds expressed as "One nation with two states” are strengthened as the two countries extend a mission of great importance, the TANAP project is a giant undertaking which will bring security to the world energy market.

On December 26 2011, a memorandum of understanding was signed; on June 26 2012, intergovernmental signatures were signed securing Turkey and Europe's natural gas supply from Azerbaijan’s Shah Deniz-2 gas field, which will make a major contribution to the diversification of supply of natural gas.

From Turkey’s border with Azerbaijan at the entry point near Türkgözü the 56-inch line inputs will stretch until the pipeline reaches the European borders through Greece, with output stations inside Turkey in Eskisehir and Thrace.

The first of the four stages envisaged for the TANAP project will take place in 2018 with the first gas stream. By 2022, the pipeline will reach an annual capacity of 16 billion cubic meters; by 2024, 23 billion cubic meters; and in 2028, the pipeline is expected to reach an annual capacity of 31 billion cubic meters. This will be the biggest pipeline project yet to be carried out within the borders of Turkey.

About Socar

SOCAR is an integrated state oil & gas company of Republic of Azerbaijan and is involved in upstream, midstream and downstream operations encompassing exploration of oil and gas fields, production, processing and transporting oil, gas and condensate, marketing of petroleum and petrochemical products in domestic and international markets and supplying natural gas to domestic and industrial customers in Azerbaijan. SOCAR has its trading companies in Switzerland, Singapore and UAE and representative offices in a number of other countries.