Baku, Azerbaijan, March 27
By Leman Zeynalova – Trend:
Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP), envisaging transportation of Azerbaijani gas to Europe, is a very important project for Albania and the entire region, said Albanian Minister of Infrastructure and Energy Damian Gjiknuri.
He made the remarks during presentation of Albania's national energy strategy 2030 in Tirana, according to a message from the country’s Ministry of Infrastructure and Energy.
The minister said that some of major challenges of Albania’s energy sector in the coming years include supporting economic development, increasing security of power supply, improving energy efficiency, increasing the share of renewable energy sources, implementing the project for the gasification of the energy sector after the construction of the Trans-Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) as well as the start of the Ionian-Adriatic Pipeline (IAP) project.
Potential investments related to the implementation of the strategy amount to 2.7 billion euros ($3.3 billion) for the 2018-2030 period, he added.
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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