Baku, Azerbaijan, May 5
By Leman Zeynalova – Trend:
Both the Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) and the Ionian Adriatic Pipeline (IAP) are important for diversification of supply routes and for enhancing the security of supply in Europe, a source in Slovenian Geoplin Plinovodi company told Trend May 5.
“IAP project is focused to Albania, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croatia. It would start in Albania and end in Croatia with connection to existing Croatian transmission system,” said the source, adding that flow distribution and capacities available for other countries (e.g. Slovenia or Hungary) would be dependent on upgrades of Croatian transmission system.
IAP is a proposed natural gas pipeline in Southeastern Europe (SEE) that will stretch from Albania through Montenegro, and Bosnia and Herzegovina, to Split in Croatia. It will be connected with the Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP).
IAP will provide deliveries of Azerbaijani gas to several countries of South-Eastern Europe. The capacity of the pipeline will amount to five billion cubic meters of gas per year.
TAP has already signed memorandums of understanding and cooperation with the developers of this project, in particular with companies of Plinacro (Croatia), BH-Gas (Bosnia and Herzegovina), Geoplin Plinovodi (Slovenia), as well as with the governments of Montenegro and Albania.
There has been created a TAP-IAP joint working group that gathers regularly to synchronize the timing both pipeline projects and coordinate the technical issues of interconnection.
TAP is a part of the Southern Gas Corridor, which is one of the priority energy projects for the European Union. The project envisages transportation of gas from Azerbaijan's Shah Deniz Stage 2 to the EU countries.
The pipeline will connect 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.
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