BAKU, Dec 16 (Reuters) - A final investment decision on aproject to supply European buyers with gas from Azerbaijan'sShah Deniz II field will be signed in Baku on Tuesday, the UKambassador to Azerbaijan said.
"The documents to be signed in Baku on December 17 include afinal investment decision on the $25-billion Shah Deniz naturalgas development and the Trans-Anatolian (TANAP) andTrans-Adriatic (TAP) gas pipeline projects," Irfan Siddiq saidin a statement.
The investment decision is crucial for the future of theproject, seen as one of the alternative routes to supply gas toEurope, which is trying to lessen its dependence on energysupplies from Russia.
The Shah Deniz consortium and its partners will sign 39documents at a ceremony that will be attended by Azeri PresidentIlham Aliyev and senior officials from European countries.
Earlier this year, Azeri state energy company SOCAR andpartners including BP and Statoil selected theTrans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) for potential gas deliveries toEurope over its Austria-based rival Nabucco West.
TANAP will be built from the Turkish-Georgian border toTurkey's border with Europe, with its preliminary total costestimated at $20 billion.
The TAP and TANAP pipelines will utilise Azerbaijan's vastShah Deniz II project in the Caspian Sea, one of the world'slargest gas fields, and help Europe reduce its reliance onRussian gas.
Buyers of Azeri gas from its Shah Deniz II project are Shell, Bulgargas, Gas Natural Fenosa, Greek DEPA, Germany'sE.ON, France's GDF Suez, Italian regionalutility Hera Trading, Switzerland's AXPO andItaly's Enel.
"Attention of the EU to the search of new ways to delivergas is focused on Azerbaijan, notably on the giant field ShahDeniz, which lays the foundation of the Southern gas corridor,"Edita Novak, the EU delegation adviser on energy, toldreporters.
From around 2019 Shah Deniz II is expected to feed 16billion cubic metres (bcm) of gas per year to Europe, with 10bcm earmarked for Europe and 6 bcm for Turkey.
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