TANAP May Use Turkmen Gas

Turkish Minister for Energy Taner Yildiz has said that the Trans Anatolian pipeline (TANAP) may source some of its gas from Turkmenistan.

The minister will raise the matter at a meeting with Turkmen and Azeri officials today, various media outlets have reported, with EU Energy Commissioner Günther Oettinger expected to also be in attendance. 

Last night, Turkish newspaper Hurriyet reported that Minister Yildiz said that Turkmen gas could help to ease Europe's energy concerns through its supply of gas through the TANAP pipeline. 

"Turkey is a key part of Europe’s gas problem," the paper reports him as saying. "We have designed a structure that will go through Azerbaijan and ease gas trade. This structure will aim to [use] Turkmen gas."

The Trans Anatolian pipeline is currently devised to bring gas from Azerbaijan's major gas field, Shah Deniz, through Turkey to Europe. The pipeline, which is due to begin construction in 2014, would provide up to 16 billion cubic metres of Europe's gas needs a year when completed in 2018.

Turkey and Azerbaijan are already cooperating on the pipeline having signed an intergovernmental agreement to that effect in June of this year.