Baku, Azerbaijan, Sept.14
By Leman Zeynalova – Trend:
Land reinstatement in Eastern Macedonia and Thrace is exceeding 98 percent, said the consortium for construction of the Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP), which envisages transportation of Azerbaijani gas to Europe.
As a result, more than 3,150 parcels used for the section of the Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) traversing the region have now been returned to their lawful owners and users, said the message.
The steps for reinstatement include:
backfilling and compacting the trench;
evenly re-spreading the topsoil, the most productive and fertile soil, on the ground’s surface and contouring the land back to its original profile;
implementing revegetation and ecological restoration programs in non-cultivated land, in collaboration with Greek forestry authorities and environmental specialists;
installing permanent ground control measures where necessary – e.g. steep slopes
applying agricultural support program to accelerate farm productivity, that combines agronomist consultation support, as well as provision of fertilizer and tree seedlings to cultivators of tree crops;
monitoring of restoration and, if necessary, remediation to address any issues that might emerge after land hand back.
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).
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