Details added (first version posted on 10:04)
Baku, Azerbaijan, Feb. 23
By Azad Hasanli – Trend:
Replanting of trees will begin in Italy Feb. 27, and this will make it possible to start laying the Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP), Italy’s Minister of Economic Development Carlo Calenda told reporters in Baku Feb. 23.
He made the remarks on the sidelines of Azerbaijani-Italian business forum being held in Baku.
Calenda said that negotiations on the issuance of licenses required for the TAP’s construction continue.
The TAP is a priority and the largest energy project for Italy, the minister noted. Of course, it’s necessary to negotiate with the local authorities while implementing such a major infrastructure project, he added.
Earlier, Lisa Givert, head of communications at TAP, told Trend that that the project’s implementation will have a minimal impact on Italy’s environment, moreover, planting of olive trees along the gas pipeline’s route will continue.
TAP is a part of the Southern Gas Corridor which is one of the priority energy projects for the European Union.
TAP project envisages transportation of gas from the Stage 2 of development of Azerbaijan's Shah Deniz gas and condensate field to the EU countries.
The pipeline will be connected to the Trans Anatolian Natural Gas Pipeline (TANAP) on the Turkish-Greek border, run through Greece, Albania and the Adriatic Sea, before coming ashore in Italy's south.
TAP will be 878 kilometers in length (Greece 550 km, Albania 215 km, Adriatic Sea 105 km, and Italy 8 km). Its highest point will be 1,800 meters in Albania’s mountains, while its lowest point will be 820 meters beneath the sea.