Richard Morningstar: More gas to be available for TAP

Baku, Azerbaijan, May 26

By Aygun Badalova - Trend:

More gas will be available for the Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) project, which envisages the transportation of the Caspian gas to European markets, the Voice of America reported referring to Founder Director of the Global Energy Center at the Atlantic Council, former US ambassador to Azerbaijan, Richard Morningstar.

"There are other opportunities off the coast of Azerbaijan. There is still possibility to import gas from Turkmenistan. Eastern Mediterranean gas could ultimately go into that pipeline, as well as gas from the Kurdish fields in Iraq," Morningstar said.

"There are definitely other possibilities," he added.

TAP project, is not the only solution to the European energy security, but it will help, according to Morningstar.

There will be 10 billion cubic meters coming to Europe through the TAP pipeline, which will add competition to the European market, he said.

"But Europe has to do a whole a lot of other things - building interconnections, importing more LNG, developing its renewable markets, developing more storage facilities, energy efficiency, and all the rest," Morningstar added.

TAP project envisages transportation of gas from the Stage 2 of development of Azerbaijan's Shah Deniz gas and condensate field to the EU countries.

The 870-kilometer pipeline will be connected to the Trans Anatolian Pipeline (TANAP) on the Turkish-Greek border, run through Greece, Albania and the Adriatic Sea, before coming ashore in Italy's south.

TAP's shareholding is comprised of BP (20 percent), SOCAR (20 percent), Snam S.p.A. (20 percent), Fluxys (19 percent), Enagás (16 percent) and Axpo (5 percent).

A ceremony marking the beginning of construction for the project was held on Tuesday, 17 May in Thessaloniki.