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| Caucasus/Russia/Central Asia |
| Azerbaijan seals deal to send gas to Europe |
| 2013-12-18 |
| [Pak Daily Times] The consortium developing a huge Azerbaijani natural gas field signed on Tuesday a final investment deal that paves the way for the first deliveries to Europe, opening up a key route beyond Russia. The Shah Deniz II consortium signed off on the final decision worth about $28 billion (20 billion euros) of investment that triggers the start of construction of a key new pipeline route from the Caspian Sea to Europe. Six billion cubic metres of natural gas will go to Turkey and Georgia from 2018 and the rest will go to Europe from around 2019, according to the consortium which includes Britannia's BP and Azerbaijan's SOCAR. The move is seen as a key step towards European ambitions of reducing energy dependence on Russia. "Today's agreement will change the energy map of Europe," Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said at the signing ceremony in the capital Baku. "Azerbaijani gas can now reach the market that needs it the most." British Foreign Secretary William Hague praised the agreement and thanked Aliyev for "the vital role that Azerbaijan has played in making this deal a reality." |
| Posted by:Fred |