Baku, Azerbaijan, March 12
By Aygun Badalova -Trend:
The Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) is subject to Third Party Access, but this does not nullify pipeline's commitment to transport Azerbaijani Shah Deniz-2 gas to the European market, the source in the European Commission told Trend on March 12.
The comments came after the recent statement of advisor in the European Commission's DG energy (Directorate-General for Energy), Brendan Devlin about the possibility of Russia to use TAP for delivering its gas to the European countries.
Source in the European Commission told Trend that in 2013, TAP has been granted an exemption from Third Party Access (TPA).
"But beyond this exemption, TAP is subject to Third Party Access as any other pipeline in the EU under EU legislation. These are internal energy market rules based on non-discrimination and available to all qualified gas shippers. This does not nullify TAP's commitment to transport Shah Deniz phase II volumes from the Caspian through Greece, Albania and into Italy," the source said.
The source also added that the exemption decision excludes TAP's initial capacity of 10 billion cubic meters gas from Third Party Access for 25 years and dedicates it to Shah Deniz-2 project's gas.
"The other 50 percent capacity of the Total Capacity of the project shall be allocated to third parties through the booking phase of the market test and, if not allocated, in subsequent market tests," the source said.
Earlier TAP Head of Communications Lisa Givert told Trend that TAP is fully committed to transport Shah Deniz phase II volumes from the Caspian through Greece, Albania and into Italy.
"For any additional volumes that come on stream, TAP will comply with EU regulation and relevant sanctions," Givert said.
Speaking at a conference on "post-South Stream", organised by the Martens Centre for European Studies, Brendan Devlin said that Russia can use TAP from a regulatory and political perspective, for shipping its gas to the EU countries, if the country builds the "Turkish Stream" pipeline.
"It doesn't matter who the shipper is, and we don't care if it is Russian gas, Libyan gas, Azerbaijani gas. The internal market works like that. It's the rules that we have set up for Russia, or for Gazprom, Devlin said. "And as we require them to implement those rules, they are free and welcome to use pipelines in the European Union on the same basis."
TAP is a part of the huge Southern Gas Corridor project, which envisages transportation of gas from the Caspian region through Georgia and Turkey to Europe.
The approximately 870 km-long pipeline will connect with the Trans Anatolian Pipeline (TANAP) near the Turkish-Greek border at Kipoi, cross Greece and Albania and the Adriatic Sea, before coming ashore in Southern Italy.
The initial capacity of TAP will be 10 billion cubic meters per year, but it can easily be expanded to 20 billion cubic meters per year as the new volumes of gas come on stream.
TAP's shareholding is comprised of BP (20 percent), SOCAR (20 percent), Statoil (20 percent), Fluxys (19 percent), Enagás (16 percent) and Axpo (five percent). Construction of TAP is planned to begin in 2016.
Aygun Badalova is Trend Agency's staff journalist, follow her on Twitter:@AygunBadalova