BAKU, July 2 (Reuters) - A BP-led internationalconsortium started its first commercial deliveries of naturalgas to Turkey from Azerbaijan's giant Shah Deniz field fromSaturday, BP said on Monday, part of efforts aimed at cuttingEurope's dependence on Russian energy supplies.
The European Union is trying to cut its reliance on Russiangas by developing the so-called Southern Gas Corridor, which isexpected to bring about 16 billion cubic metres (bcm) of gas ayear to Europe by 2020.
Russian gas has become increasingly politicised since 2014when Moscow annexed the Crimea peninsula and rebellion flared ineastern regions of Ukraine. Russian gas giant Gazpromcaters for 34 percent of Europe's gas market.
The gas would come from the Shah Deniz II field inAzerbaijan via the 1,850 km the Trans-Anatolian Natural GasPipeline (TANAP) through Turkey, the 487-km South Caucasuspipeline extension through Azerbaijan and Georgia and the 878 kmTrans-Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) across Greece, Albania and Italy.
"BP as operator is very pleased that the longstandingpartnerships we have in Azerbaijan and the entire region haveallowed us to bring this world class project to success,enabling us to meet our commitments to consumers in Turkey,"Gary Jones, BP's regional president for Azerbaijan, Georgia andTurkey, said in a statement.
BP said with an investment of some $28 billion, the projecthad a planned total of at least 26 subsea wells, twobridge-linked platforms, 500-km of subsea pipelines andflowlines, a major expansion at the Sangachal Terminal near theAzeri capital Baku and an expansion of the South CaucasusPipeline.
"Start-up of Shah Deniz II is a milestone not just forAzerbaijan and the BP-led consortium, but for the Caspian as awhole region: a complex megaproject delivered on schedule andunder budget," Ashley Sherman, principal analyst, Caspian &Europe Upstream oil and gas, at Wood Mackenzie, said in astatement.
The Shah Deniz I field, which has been pumping gas since2006, produces more than 10 bcm of gas per year, and output fromShah Deniz II is expected to reach an annual 16 bcm of naturalgas, with 10 bcm earmarked for Europe and 6 bcm for Turkey.
Total production from the Shah Deniz fields will be up to 26bcm of gas and up to 120,000 barrels of condensate a day, BPsaid.(Reporting by Margarita Antidze; additional reporting byVladimir Soldatkin in MOSCOW;editing by David Evans)