Energy services company Emerson Process Management said it secured a $40 million contract from BP to help develop the Shah Deniz gas field offshore Azerbaijan.

Emerson, which has headquarters in Texas, said Thursday it will provide control and safety systems to BP's operations to ensure safe and efficient gas production offshore and processing at an onshore terminal.

BP has awarded more than $1 billion in development contracts since selecting the Trans-Adriatic pipeline as its option for Shah Deniz last year.

The Trans-Anatolian natural gas pipeline will carry Shah Deniz gas through Turkey to the Greek border. From there, TAP will take the gas to the European market.

Both pipelines are part of the so-called Southern Corridor of gas pipelines for Europe meant to break Russia's grip on the region's energy sector. Europe gets about a quarter of its gas needs met by Russia, though most of that runs through the Soviet-era transit network in Ukraine, where geopolitical conflicts present a risk to energy security.

First gas from the giant offshore natural gas field will be delivered in late 2018.