Azerbaijan, Baku, Dec. 6 / Trend A. Akhundov /
Italy is interested in the implementation of the TAP gas pipeline project, Italian ambassador to Azerbaijan Mario Baldi told media on Thursday.
"We are interested in the TAP implementation as it is the only project that can deliver Azerbaijani gas directly to Italy," Baldi said.
However, in general, Italy supports the creation of the Southern Gas Corridor which will open the way to transporting natural resources from the Caspian region to Europe.
"We expect TAP construction to be completed in 2017-2018," Baldi said.
The TAP project is designed to transport gas from the Caspian region via Greece and Albania across the Adriatic Sea to southern Italy and further into Western Europe. Gas to be produced within the second phase of the Azerbaijani Shah Deniz gas condensate field development is considered as the main source for TAP.
TAP's initial pipeline capacity will be 10 billion cubic metres per year, expanded to 20 billion cubic metres. TAP's shareholders are EGL of Switzerland (42.5 per cent), Norway's Statoil (42.5 per cent) and E.ON Ruhrgas of Germany (15 per cent).
Earlier this year the Shah Deniz consortium chose TAP as a priority route to export Azerbaijani gas to Italy. In September TAP began directly discussions on the possibility of connecting two pipelines from a technical point of view with the Trans-Anatolian gas pipeline project (TANAP).
Later, the Nabucco West consortium was chosen as the only pipeline project to deliver gas produced during the second phase of Shah Deniz field development, to Central Europe. The final decision on the gas pipeline route will be made by the consortium in 2013.