Baku, Azerbaijan, Sept.11
By Leman Zeynalova – Trend:
Archaeological remnants of human activity in Western Macedonia (Greece) from the Neolithic to the post-Byzantine period have been brought to light in archaeological excavations, carried out in the context of construction works for the Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) AG, said a message from the consortium.
"Rescue archaeological research conducted in a total of 14 communities in the Kozani Regional Unit brought to light new archaeological information on the area’s history that enrich its topographical and cultural map," commented the Head of the local Ephorate of Antiquities (EFA), Areti Chondrogianni-Metoki, and the archaeologist in charge of the works, Vicky Laïna.
As an EU Project of Common Interest (PCI), and following the second Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) Energy 2016 call for proposals, in February 2017 TAP was awarded a grant of 14,018,347 euros. These amounts have been used to fund archaeological trial trench investigations and rescue excavations along the pipeline lots 2 and 3 in Greece (Kavala to Kastoria, approximately 360km in total).
TAP project, worth 4.5 billion euros, is one of the priority energy projects for the European Union (EU), and has already attracted 1.5 billion euros from the European Investment Bank (EIB), which approved the loan in early February 2018.
Connecting with the Trans-Anatolian Natural Gas 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), Enagas (16 percent) and Axpo (5 percent).
---
Follow the author on Twitter: @Lyaman_Zeyn