"The work on the project goes as scheduled. Southern Gas Corridor will bring Azerbaijani gas to the international markets and thus we will fulfill the tasks put forward in the energy sector," Aliyev said at the opening ceremony of the 23rd International exhibition and conference Caspian Oil & Gas 2016.
The Southern Gas Corridor is expected to extend to over 2,000 miles, carrying natural gas from Azerbaijan to Georgia into Turkey and on through Greece and Albania into southern Italy. The first delivery of Azerbaijani gas via the pipeline is scheduled for early 2020. The initial pipeline's capacity will be 10 billion cubic meters per year, expandable to 20 billion cubic meters.
The Southern Gas Corridor is backed by the United States and the European Commission, and is considered by them as a competitor to the suspended Turkish Stream project.