Southern Gas Corridor – project of the century

To find out just what it takes to build the world’s single largest, non-military infrastructure project, Reimagining energy takes a virtual trip along the Southern Gas Corridor, meeting some of the people who helped to make it happen

A mammoth journey

A new ribbon of energy is running across mainland Europe connecting customers to new sources. With three interconnected pipelines traversing seven countries, the Southern Gas Corridor (SGC) is a project unlike any other.

Last checks before assembling the boring machine, Melendugno, Italy, January 2019

Back in 2013, when bp and partners – including Azerbaijan’s national oil and gas company, SOCAR – sanctioned the SGC, the scale of the challenges of opening up a new energy corridor were somewhat unknown.

But it quickly became clear that these would include the need to engage a vast range of stakeholders, including multiple governments, multinational and local companies, as well as entire communities. Add to this ongoing negotiations on a range of agreements; project financing; and addressing environmental and community concerns.

But, thanks to teamwork, diplomacy and innovative thinking, the team overcame them all. And seven years later, on 31 December 2020, the entire SGC was safely completed and gas began flowing into Europe from the Caspian for the first time.

This mammoth feat of engineering means that, every year, enough energy to supply around 7 million households will now travel 3,500 kilometres from Azerbaijan’s Caspian Sea to Italy. The system has also been designed with the potential to double its capacity to 20bcma if needed.

View from the ground

“The SGC is changing the dynamic of the world’s gas supply. It is an absolute demonstration of what bp means when it talks about performing while transforming. I hope it has given investors confidence that we can plan and execute these large, complex, challenging projects.”

Joe Murphy
Vice president, Southern Corridor

Shah Deniz field, Azerbaijan

It all starts at the Shah Deniz gas field – the largest gas discovery bp has ever made. Shah Deniz has been developed in stages – with Stage 1 of the field development brought online in 2006. Gas from Stage 2 is now supplying an abundance of energy to the markets along the Southern Corridor.

Azerbaijan operator in front of the Shah Deniz Bravo Quarter Utilities topsides' jacket load out at the Baku Deepwater Jacket Factory yard in Azerbaijan

Two new bridge-linked platforms, 26 wells and 500 kilometres of subsea pipelines and flowlines were needed to bring to life the largest subsea development on bp’s books.

And none of it would have been possible without the Subsea Construction Vessel Khankendi – which installed part of the subsea infrastructure for the Shah Deniz 2 project in the Caspian Sea. The state-of-the-art construction vessel was designed specifically for the Shah Deniz workscope. As the Caspian is landlocked, prefabricated vessel strips were transported from Singapore, eventually reaching Baku via the southern canal systems, for construction of the Khankendi.

SCV Khankendi carries out subsea infrastructure installation beside the Shah Deniz Brava platform, October 2017

View from the ground

“I’ve worked in Azerbaijan for many years and seen the tangible impact that the oil and gas industry has had on the country. The Khankendi is a great example of that.”

Brian Garside
AGT project general manager

Sangachal terminal, Azerbaijan

Extracting gas from under the seabed is difficult enough, but it then has to be transported to an onshore facility for processing.

Three 90-kilometre pipelines carry both gas and condensate from the Shah Deniz Bravo platforms to the Sangachal terminal.

We built two new condensate trains and two gas processing trains with three new compressors at the terminal for the project. These processing trains condition the gas received from offshore to meet the specification required for entry to the SCP export pipeline and stabilize the condensate for export through the existing Baku–Tbilisi–Ceyhan oil export infrastructure.

Sangachal Terminal fully commissioned, January 2018

We were careful to make use of local yards, which supplied 100% of the steel and pipe and, to help us get that infrastructure in place, we trained more than 3,000 Azerbaijani citizens in welding, electrical and instrument disciplines.

To improve the carbon footprint of the plant, it is heated via exhaust gases that are collected and recycled, reducing annual emissions by around 110,000 tonnes. That’s equivalent to two daily flights between London and Baku every year.

View from the ground

“All aspects of this project have been incredibly complex and challenging – be they workforce, engineering, technical, technological, commercial, regulatory, geographical or geopolitical. I’m proud to have been part of what our president describes as the ‘project of the 21st century’!”

Ilgar Mammadov
AGT projects general manager

Commissioning of the open drain pump, Sangachal terminal, June 2018

South Caucasus Pipeline Extension, Azerbaijan and Georgia

To accommodate the extra gas from Shah Deniz 2, the South Caucasus Pipeline (SCP) needed a major expansion programme (SCPx). The new 48-inch pipeline loop runs 424 kilometres through Azerbaijan and Georgia, before connecting into the Trans-Anatolian Pipeline (TANAP) across Turkey.

SCPx construction in Georgia

We also built two new compressor stations, one halfway up a mountain, along with new access roads and vast temporary camps. All of which was completed in a narrow April-October weather window.

Gas Compression Station 2 in Georgia ready to operate, September 2018

View from the top

“Until today, Georgia was only a gas transit country of regional importance. It was conducting transit of Azerbaijani gas to Turkey and Russian gas to Armenia. Now, it has become an international player,” said Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia of Georgia, speaking in December 2020

Trans Anatolian Pipeline, Turkey

On reaching Turkey, the SCPx facilities connect into the new TANAP pipeline, crossing 20 provinces and 67 districts of the country and rising to the corridor’s peak at 2,700 metres above sea level.

Welding activities take place on Lot 2 of TANAP construction in the province of Sivas in Central Eastern Turkey, 2016

TANAP is majority-owned by the state of Azerbaijan and is operated as a standalone joint venture. Our role as a non-operated joint venture partner (NOJV) has been to provide support where needed, offering our safety, technical and commercial expertise at key points along the way.

View from the ground

“I learned that it’s important to prioritize people and interactions when working with partners. We were heavily supported by people right across bp’s different disciplines and operated projects – all of which made this an incredibly positive working relationship and technical success.”

Osman Goksel
Project general manager, GPO delivery

Trans Adriatic Pipeline, Greece

At the Turkish-Greek border, TANAP connects into the third SGC pipeline – the Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP). This 550-kilometre pipeline runs through more than 10,000 individual private plots of land. Effective community engagement was, therefore, critical. Sometimes, that included a team of experts going door-to-door to discuss the project.

TAP construction activities in the snow, Northern Greece, January 2017

The SGC project was has also been a cultural journey, with archaeologists on hand to ensure any significant discoveries were are properly protected. In Greece alone, some 36 million euros’ worth of archaeological treasures were unearthed and carefully preserved.

Farmers working on reinstated land following pipeline completion at a vineyard in Komotini, Greece, May 2019

“With the launch of TAP, the strategic vision of the EU for the supply of natural gas from an alternative source is realized, contributing substantially to the achievement of the basic European objectives for energy security,” said Kostis Hatzidakis, former Minister of Environment and Energy of Greece.

View from the ground

“This was a career-defining project for me and lots of others who have spent years working towards this moment. I think that teamwork and integration were key to the project’s success. As a Greek national, I am so proud of what we achieved. This was a big investment for our county during a difficult time financially.”

Katerina, Papalexandri
Vice president of gas & low carbon energy growth, Caspian

Trans Adriatic Pipeline, Albania

Offshore Albania, the TAP pipeline drops to the corridor’s lowest point in the Adriatic Sea, at 810 metres below sea level.

Pipeline construction in the Accursed Mountains, Albania

To get there, it first has to traverse mountains some 2,100 metres above sea level. And where there are mountains, there is geological challenge. Specifically, in a remote region in the mountainous Potom area, where it became impossible to dig a trench deep enough for the pipeline. Instead, the team built a 450-metre micro-tunnel, with shafts that plunge 35 metres into the mountain.

View from the top

“The Southern Gas Corridor is of big importance for the region, especially for Albania, not only for the sector energy and gasification, but also for the very positive effects on the national economy and sustainable long-term development,” said President Ilir Meta of Albania.

First offshore pipelines pulled ashore in Albania, March 2019

View from the ground

“I’ve had the privilege of working at both ends of the SGC. It’s also the longest time I’ve ever spent on a single project, which reflects its sheer scale. I am proud to have contributed to creating this new gas supply corridor and a significant piece of infrastructure that will serve Europe’s energy needs for decades to come.”

John Haynes
Project general manager for Shah Deniz onshore facilities and TAP project director

Take a look at this YouTube video to get a sense of the scale of the work in Albania.

Trans Adriatic Pipeline, Italy

TAP and the corridor arrive on Italy’s southern coast via another micro-tunnel; this one, 1.5 kilometres long and 15 metres below the surface to avoid disturbing the beach. A final eight-kilometre section of pipeline then delivers the gas to a pipeline-receiving terminal at Melendugno.

An operator at the pipeline-receiving terminal in Melendugno, Italy, gives the go-ahead for first gas to start flowing in December 2020

While the shortest section of the whole corridor, this stage was not without its hurdles, including significant community challenge. It was an important reminder of why relationships are so critical in projects like this.

But with help from an Italian partner company, Snam, extensive local community engagement and a host of commitments – including full reinstatement of local olive groves – we were able to overcome the challenges to complete the project.

A dial at the terminal shows first gas is flowing through the SGC, December 2020

“It sounds obvious, but a pipeline project is always moving, which means you find yourself very close to communities. You can’t ignore that. The ability to communicate locally was key. In the end, the success of a project like this is always about the people. It had its challenges, but this was a fantastic team and a tremendous result,” says Haynes.

Gas and its importance

The importance of the SGC project cannot be overstated. For Azerbaijan, it represents a physical connection with Europe. For Europe, it means vital new gas supplies, with the potential for future growth and diversification in the coming decades. It may even, one day, play a critical role in delivering low carbon energy sources, such as hydrogen.

For bp, it is a tangible example of our new strategy to deliver resilient hydrocarbons as we pivot from being an international oil company focused on producing resources to an integrated energy company focused on delivering solutions for customers.

View from the top

“This project, which links many countries, lays the foundation for a new format of cooperation among the countries involved and other Eurasian countries in the future. This format of cooperation is already manifesting itself in the transport sector, trade and other sectors. We have redesigned the energy map of Eurasia,” said President Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan.

How SGC gas will help to keep the lights on in Europe

View from the ground

“SGC demonstrates bp’s commitment to target resilient hydrocarbons as part of our wider ambition to reimagine energy for people and our planet.”

Joe Murphy
Vice president, Southern Corridor

The Southern Gas Corridor in numbers

Some significant figures from the project.

Map is a visual schematic of the SGC, not an exact representation of the route.

The Southern Gas Corridor in numbers

Some significant figures from the project.

Map is a visual schematic of the SGC, not an exact representation of the route.