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Permits for IAP’s Croatian sections to be obtained by late 2017 (exclusive)

Oil&Gas Materials 10 May 2017 11:20 (UTC +04:00)

Baku, Azerbaijan, May 10

By Leman Zeynalova – Trend:

Croatian sections of the Ionian-Adriatic Pipeline (IAP) are in the high stage of preparation, a source in Croatian Plinacro Ltd. natural gas transmission system operator told Trend.

“A building permit has been obtained for the first phase of Split-Ploce section, while the process of obtaining the building permits for the second and the third phase is in progress. As for the two remaining sections (Ploce-Dubrovnik and Dubrovnik-Dobrec) location permits should be obtained by the end of the year,” said the company.

The source recalled that the Memorandum of Understanding and Cooperation signed in August 2016 by the countries involved in the project confirmed the joint initiative for the development of the relevant project and established the operative body for the Ionian-Adriatic Pipeline (Project Management Unit), which adopted an action plan for the project development in 2017.

“This operative body consists of the representatives of the relevant Ministries of Croatia, Montenegro, Albania and Bosnia and Herzegovina as well as the representatives of companies which are the operators of the transmission systems in the mentioned countries (Plinacro, Montenegro Bonus, Albpetrol and BH-Gas) and the representative of the Azerbaijan’s state oil company SOCAR,” said the company.

The source pointed out that this project enables diversification of supply for Croatia and significantly increases security of supply and opens possibility for transit of gas through Croatia to other countries.

“Taking into account that energy independence is a strategic goal of every country, creation of a new supply route of natural gas from the Middle East and the Caspian region is extremely important for the fulfilment of this goal,” said the company.

The source added that by implementing this project, Croatia will upgrade its gas system, enhance utilisation of the existing system and by integration into the European gas flows and gas market, it will eventually provide more competitive natural gas price.

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.

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