Baku, Azerbaijan, Aug. 4
Trend:
US and Europe's support for the Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP), above all, shows their trust in Azerbaijan as a reliable partner in transportation of energy resources, expert on energy issues Igor Tsaranich told Trend commenting on the recent statements of US President Donald Trump about the TAP.
Trump expressed his support for the TAP project during a joint press conference with Italian PM Giuseppe Conte in Washington.
According to Tsaranich, European countries prefer cooperation with Azerbaijan, especially in the energy sector.
"In this sense, TAP is of immense importance for Europe, especially for Italy and Bulgaria, where Azerbaijani gas will flow. Azerbaijan plays a significant role in ensuring the energy security of Europe: not only because it is an oil country, but also because important energy transit routes go through Azerbaijan. This is the result of a well-considered and well-thought-out economic policy aimed at diversifying routes for the delivery of energy resources," said Tsaranich.
According to him, the natural gas supplies from the Shah Deniz field to Europe will positively affect Azerbaijan's national economy and significantly expand the country's capabilities in foreign energy markets.
TAP, worth 4.5 billion euros, is a part of the Southern Gas Corridor. The pipeline will be connected to the Trans-Anatolian Natural Gas Pipeline (TANAP) on the Turkish-Greek border, run through Greece, Albania and the Adriatic Sea, before coming ashore in Italy’s south.
The initial capacity of TAP will be 10 billion cubic meters of gas per year with the possibility of doubling it.
The construction of TAP is expected to complete in 2020 for the first Azerbaijani gas to be supplied to Europe that year.
TAP will be 878 kilometers in length (Greece 550 kilometers, Albania 215 kilometers, Adriatic Sea 105 kilometers, and Italy 8 kilometers).