Baku, Azerbaijan, April 11
By Leman Zeynalova – Trend:
It is not possible to change landfall of Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) in Italy, said Italian Minister of Economic Development Carlo Calenda.
He was commenting on the discontent in Italy’s Puglia region due to the removal of olive trees as part of the pipeline’s construction.
He added that changing this route would hinder TAP’s construction, Reuters reported.
Earlier, Italian Environment Minister Gian Luca Galletti said that 14 different options have been evaluated for the landfall of TAP in Italy.
The minister recalled that once the construction work is completed, these olive trees will be replanted.
Earlier, Italian Council of State gave green light to construction of TAP in the country, rejecting appeals from the Puglia regional government.
The Council of State ruled that the TAP project had provided sufficient details on the environmental impact of the project.
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.
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