Baku, Azerbaijan, May 2
By Leman Zeynalova – Trend:
Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) AG has launched its pre-qualification process for the engineering, procurement, installation and management (EPIM) of telecommunications and security systems, said a message from the consortium.
These elements will create a global network connecting the different pipeline technologies in TAP’s host countries, including the fibre optic network, the data centres in Italy and Switzerland, the compressor stations in Greece and Albania, etc., said the consortium.
TAP’s Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Director Pierluca Ferrari said that while the TAP project is more than 70 percent completed, the consortium continues to ensure that the pipeline will be ready to safely transport Shah Deniz II gas to Europe.
“The telecommunications and security systems global network will play a key role in testing the pipeline and its assets along the 878km route and ensuring the infrastructure is ready for operations in 2020,” added Ferrari .
Following the pre-qualification stage, TAP will issue the related Invitations to Tender (ITT) in the second quarter of 2018, according to the consortium.
The contract is expected to be awarded in the third quarter of 2018, said the message.
TAP project, worth 4.5 billion euros, is one of the priority energy projects for the European Union. 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).
---
Follow the author on Twitter: @Lyaman_Zeyn