TANAP to be tested in late 2017: Turkish minister

The testing of the Trans-Anatolian Natural Gas Pipeline (TANAP) will start at the end of 2017, Turkish media outlets quoted Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Berat Albayrak as saying on November 1.

He noted that the first gas will be sent through TANAP to test the pipeline in late 2017.

Albayrak added that TANAP is one of the most important projects for Turkey.

TANAP project envisages transportation of gas from Azerbaijan's Shah Deniz field to the western borders of Turkey. The gas will be delivered to Turkey in 2018 and after completion of the Trans Adriatic Pipeline's construction the gas will be delivered to Europe in early 2020.

The length of TANAP is 1,850 kilometers with an initial capacity of 16 billion cubic meters of gas. Around six billion cubic meters of this gas is meant to be delivered to Turkey, with the remaining volume to be supplied to Europe.

The project’s total cost is estimated at $8.5 billion.