Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec.21
By Leman Zeynalova – Trend:
The offshore section of the Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP), which envisages transportation of Azerbaijani gas to Europe, is 10 percent complete, TAP Managing Director Luca Schieppati said in an interview with Trend.
“TAP marked the launch of offshore works mid-October 2018. Overall, offshore construction work is approximately 10 percent complete, as of end-November 2018,” he said.
Schieppati noted that at TAP’s Albanian landfall site, work is underway for building the temporary cofferdam and causeway.
“Once construction is complete, the pipeline will be buried underground, so it will be invisible. In Italy, preparations for the construction of the micro-tunnel are well underway,” he said.
TAP managing director noted that offshore pipeline installation will start in 2019 and works are due to be completed on time for TAP to transport Caspian gas to Europe in 2020.
Saipem is TAP’s contractor in charge of the engineering, procurement, construction and installation of the offshore section of the project. Approximately 10 vessels will be used for the offshore construction: two vessels will lay pipes and specialized vessels will be used for dredging, supplying pipes, light construction, anchor handling, towing and survey activities. A semi-submersible pipe laying vessel will install pipes in deep waters and a shallow water lay barge will be used closer to the shore.
TAP worth 4.5 billion euros is a part of the Southern Gas Corridor, which 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.
The pipeline will connect 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.
TAP will be 878 kilometers in length (Greece 550 kilometers, Albania 215 kilometers, Adriatic Sea 105 kilometers, and Italy 8 kilometers).
TAP’s shareholding is comprised of 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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