Baku, Azerbaijan, March 31
By Aygun Badalova - Trend:
Three gas pipelines, of which two are already under construction - the Trans-Anatolian Pipeline (TANAP), Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) and Ionian Adriatic Pipeline (IAP) - prove Azerbaijan's commitment to the development of the Balkan region, President of Montenegro Filip Vujanovic said in an interview with BNE IntelliNews.
"Gas imports will fuel industrial development in Montenegro and further, cement our ties," the president said.
Vujanovic said that while work on TAP should start before the summer, IAP remains wishful thinking for now.
The pipeline would connect the Albanian town of Fier, which is crossed by TAP, to Montenegro, Bosnia & Herzegovina, and Croatia, he said adding that building this conduit would require that Azerbaijan further increases its gas exports.
TAP project envisages transportation of gas from the Stage 2 of development of Azerbaijan's Shah Deniz gas and condensate field to EU countries.
The 870 kilometers long pipeline will be connected to the Trans Anatolian Pipeline (TANAP) on the Turkish-Greek border, run through Greece, Albania and the Adriatic Sea, before coming ashore in Italy's south. The initial capacity of TAP will be 10 billion cubic meters per year, expandable to 20 billion cubic meters. It is planned to start the pipeline's construction in mid-2016.
TANAP project envisages transportation of gas of Shah Deniz field from Georgian-Turkish border to the western borders of Turkey.
IAP pipeline with a length of around 516 kilometers will be connected to TAP in the city of Fier in Albania. The pipeline will pass through Albania, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and end in the city of Split in Croatia, where it will be connected to the existing gas distribution system of the country. From Croatia, the gas can go to Hungary and other countries of Central and Western Europe.
The capacity of the IAP will be five billion cubic meters per year. The pipeline will be capable carry out reverse supply.