Baku, Azerbaijan, April 25
By Leman Zeynalova – Trend:
The Interconnector Greece-Bulgaria (IGB) and the Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) are two very important strategic projects for the region, said Greek Minister of Energy and Environment Giorgos Stathakis.
He noted that the process of implementation of the IGB project is going well, according to a message from Greek energy ministry.
Stathakis said that it is planned start the construction of the pipeline in the second half of 2018.
“The IGB also has a second track linking with Serbia. We had the opportunity to discuss this too thoroughly with the Serbian minister. IGB together with TAP are two very important strategic projects for the region,” the minister added.
IGB is a gas pipeline, which will allow Bulgaria to receive Azerbaijani gas, in particular, the gas produced from Azerbaijan's Shah Deniz 2 gas and condensate field. IGB is expected to be connected to the Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) via which gas from the Shah Deniz field will be delivered to the European markets.
The initial capacity of IGB will be 3 billion cubic meters of gas.
TAP project, worth 4.5 billion euros, is one of the priority energy projects for the European Union (EU). The project envisages transportation of gas from Azerbaijan's Shah Deniz Stage 2 to the EU countries.
Connecting with the Trans Anatolian Pipeline (TANAP) at the Greek-Turkish border, TAP will cross Northern Greece, Albania and the Adriatic Sea before coming ashore in Southern Italy to connect to the Italian natural gas network.
The project is currently in its construction phase, which started in 2016.
Once built, TAP will offer a direct and cost-effective transportation route opening up the vital Southern Gas Corridor, a 3,500-kilometer long gas value chain stretching from the Caspian Sea to Europe.
TAP shareholders include BP (20 percent), SOCAR (20 percent), Snam S.p.A. (20 percent), Fluxys (19 percent), Enagás (16 percent) and Axpo (5 percent).
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