Guler: Azeri natural gas will reach Greece by end-2006 via Turkey
 Turkish Energy Minister Hilmi Guler said on Thursday that Azeri natural gas would reach Greece via Turkey by end of 2006 and it would eventually reach Italy too. "At the end of the year, Turkey will send Azeri natural gas to Greece," Guler told a gathering of Turkish investors, adding, "from there it would eventually go to Italy." Guler said that Turkey would add to the security Europe's future energy supply, stating, "We are enriching Europe." The pipeline is part of Turkey's larger plan to become a regional hub between Europe and the natural oil and gas prodcuers of the Caspian Sea and the Middle East.
The construction of the pipeline started last July in a ceremony held at the middle of the bridge over Evros River, the natural frontier between Greece and Turkey.
Stretching over 300 kilometres, 209 kilometres of which is on Turkish territory, the pipeline will transport gas from Azerbaijan and other Caucasus producers to European countries.
Starting with a capacity of 3.5 bln cubic metres per year, the pipeline will eventually be able to handle an annual 11.5 bln cubic metres.
The cost for the Greek part has been estimated at between 30-40 mln eur, and for the Turkish part at 250 mln eur.
Another major project, the Baku-Tblisi-Ceyhan (BTC) pipeline, which will carry Azeri oil through Georgia to the Turkish Mediterranean port of Ceyhan and from there to world markets, is expected to be officially inaugurated in July.
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