Baku, Azerbaijan, April 8
By Aygun Badalova -Trend:
The Compound Development Permit - Phase 1 for the Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) project is approved by the Albanian National Territorial Council (KKT), chaired by Prime Minister, Edi Rama, TAP reported on April 8.
The Compound Development Permit - Phase 1 (CDC- Phase 1) is one of the most important permits granted to TAP AG by the Albanian authorities. It represents the permit which will authorise TAP AG to start its construction activities in Albania, the report said.
This permit for the entire TAP pipeline system shall be followed by a second phase, during which the Compound Development Permit by the Ministry of Energy and Industry will be issued on an incremental basis for different sections and phases of the TAP pipeline system development in Albania.
The construction activities will start with the upgrade and construction of access roads and bridges in Albania in 2015 and this will be followed by the pipeline laying and construction of other facilities associated with this gas transportation infrastructure, according to the report.
The TAP project was selected by the consortium of Azerbaijani Shah Deniz field development as the transportation route to the European markets.
The approximately 870 km long pipeline will connect with the Trans Anatolian Pipeline (TANAP) near the Turkish-Greek border at Kipoi, cross Greece and Albania and the Adriatic Sea, before coming ashore in Southern Italy.
The initial capacity of the pipeline will be 10 billion cubic meters per year, but it can easily be expanded to 20 billion cubic meters per year.
TAP's shareholding is comprised of BP (20 percent), SOCAR (20 percent), Statoil (20 percent), Fluxys (16 percent), Total (10 percent), E.ON (9 percent) and Axpo (5 percent).