Report: West plans to expand capacity of TANAP pipeline

ANKARA, Aug 8 (PRIME) -- The West plans to expand the capacityof the Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) and the Trans-Anatolian Natural Gas Pipeline (TANAP) to reduce its dependency on the natural gas from Russia, Turkish daily Yeni Safak reported on Monday.

“The annual capacity of TAP, the European part of the TANAP pipeline built in the framework of the Southern Gas Corridor, is estimated at 10 billion cubic meters … Europe wants to expand the capacity of Southern Gas Corridor, and there is a technical possibility to raise the TAP capacity to 20 billion cubic meters from 10 billion cubic meters,” the daily reported.

Investment is necessary to expand the TANAP capacity first to 24 billion cubic meters from 16 billion meters with the scope of further expansion to 31 billion cubic meters, Yeni Safak reported.

The goal could be met no earlier than in five years as additional accords and agreements are necessary besides investment. The projects will strengthen the positions of Turkey as of the energy base country, the daily reported.

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