The scope of the Trans-Anatolian Natural Gas Pipeline (TANAP) will be widened when Turkmen gas from Northern Iraq is added to the mega-pipeline project.
Emphasizing there is one input to the pipeline while there are two exits, General Directorate of TANAP (JOB TITLE) Saltuk Düzyol said that there should be certain legal regulations regarding the scope of the project. He added there are efficient natural gas fields in Iraq, adding that including those fields to the project is possible. Noting that they have been carrying out some necessary work for the inclusion of Northern Iraqi natural gas, Düzyol indicated Turkmen gas is also an option. He said there are some natural gas fields, which Turks call "serdar," adding that those fields could be a part of TANAP.
The foundation of TANAP - worth $10 billion - will decrease Europe's dependence on Russia and meet Turkey's ever increasing gas demand, was laid on March 17, 2015 with the participation of the presidents of Turkey, Azerbaijan and Georgia. TANAP's first flow of natural gas is expected to happen in June 2018. TANAP will be the longest and widest natural gas pipeline project yet constructed on Turkish soil, as well as increasing employment opportunities. With the implementation of the project, the natural gas produced at the Şah Deniz-2 Natural Gas Production Site located in the Caspian Sea in Azerbaijan, in addition to other sites located south of the Caspian Sea, will first be transported to Turkey and then onwards to Europe, leaving aside the planned additions to the project. TANAP will be a part of the Southern Natural Gas Corridor, as it will connect with the South Caucasian Pipeline (SCP) and the Trans-Adriatic Pipeline (TAP).
The TANAP line will enter Turkey at the Türkgözü village of the northeastern province of Ardahan along the Turkish-Georgian border, and will cross through 20 cities before ending in the İpsala district of the northwestern province of Edirne, located on Turkey's border with Greece. The pipeline will then connect with the TAP to transfer natural gas to Europe. There will be two outlets within Turkey, one in Eskişehir and the other in the Thrace region, for connecting to the national natural gas transmission network. In total, the TANAP will stretch 1,850 kilometers with surface installations, with 19 kilometers crossing under the Marmara Sea.
