Azerbaijan's giant Shah Deniz field gas has started flowing to the EU. Georgian Minister of Economy Natia Turnava has assessed the project's significance for Georgia and Georgia's role in the project.
In Turnava's words, 'Georgia is a host country in the Southern Gas Corridor (SGC),' with this being critical for the country's energy independence. Turnava stressed that Georgia will now be better capable of using its geopolitical location. "The inauguration of the Trans-Anatolian Natural Gas Pipeline took place a year ago, and we have now witnessed its natural culmination: Europe gets natural gas from the Caucasus," Turnava declared.
Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia also assessed the economic and political significance of the SGC. PM Gakharia emphasized that if Georgia has so far been a transit country of regional significance, it has now become an international actor: the gas passing through its territory will play a crucial role in diversifying the European Union's energy markets.
The SGC ensures the supply of Shah Deniz field gas to Turkey and the EU countries through Georgia, Turkey, Greece, and Albania. It will serve seven EU states and ten major energy consumers in Turkey.
Following the corresponding agreements, Georgia will get the SGC gas at a considerably reduced rate. The options contract enables the country to get around 5% of gas passing through it annually. The deal is valid before 2066. The additional gas purchase and sale agreement is in force until 2026. In accordance with the agreement, Georgia will receive around 500 mln cubic meters of gas annually.
The SGC comprises the key components as follows: the South Caucasus Pipeline Expansion Project (SCPX), the Trans-Anatolian Natural Gas Pipeline (TANAP), and the Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP).
On the invitation of the President of Turkey, Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia, together with Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, participated in the inauguration ceremony of the Trans-Anatolian Natural Gas Pipeline project last year.
