BAKU, Azerbaijan, March 23. The volume of gas delivered via the Trans-Anatolian Pipeline (TANAP) has now surpassed 60 billion cubic meters, TurkicWorld reports, citing the TANAP consortium.

“Since commencing commercial gas flow on June 30, 2018, TANAP, an integral part of the Southern Gas Corridor, has steadily increased its contribution to the region's energy security.

"TANAP remains instrumental in bolstering strategic energy supply security for both Türkiye and Europe," the consortium said.

TANAP transports gas from Stage 2 of Azerbaijan’s Shah Deniz field from the Georgian-Turkish border to Türkiye’s western border. The total cost of TANAP turned out to be lower than $7 billion.

The initial capacity of TANAP is 16 billion cubic meters of gas per year, with the possibility of expanding to 31 billion cubic meters per year in the future. Around six billion cubic meters of gas are delivered to Türkiye, while the rest of the volume is supplied to Europe.

The filling of the TANAP pipeline across Türkiye began in late January 2018.

A ceremony to launch Phase 0 of TANAP took place on June 12, 2018 in the Turkish city of Eskisehir. The first commercial gas deliveries to Türkiye commenced on June 30, 2018. The opening ceremony of TANAP’s connecting with Europe took place on November 30, 2019 in Ipsala town (Edirne province, Türkiye).

For expansion, it is necessary to add several additional compressor stations in order to achieve a throughput of 24 billion cubic meters per year. To achieve a capacity of 31 billion cubic meters, a total of seven compressor stations will be required.