Baku, Azerbaijan, Feb. 26
By Leman Zeynalova - Trend:
The work on connecting the sections of the Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) in Italy and Albania has started, Trend reports with reference to inzynieria.com.
“Now a connection is being built between Italy and Albania,” said the report.
“Soon the pipeline will connect the Italian coast to the Albanian one. During this phase, the project moves offshore. Our teams are working to protect the seabed by installing temporary sheet piles at the micro-tunnel exit point,” said a video material released by TAP AG.
“TAP is installing temporary sheet piles into the seabed to protect the cymodocea nodosa seagrass. Thanks to the 1,500 meters long micro-tunnel, the pipeline will enter Italy and avoid any impact to the beach, as it is located 16 meters below the ground,” said the consortium.
TAP project, worth 4.5 billion euros, is one of the priority energy projects for the European Union (EU). 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).
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