Baku, Azerbaijan, April 19
By Leman Zeynalova – Trend:
The construction of the Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP), as well as the Interconnector Greece-Bulgaria (IGB) will turn Greece into an energy hub, said Greek Minister of Environment and Energy Giorgos Stathakis, Trend reports.
“The country will be transformed into an energy hub, with the construction of gas pipelines, such as TAP, IGB, and the construction of the LNG terminal in Alexandroupolis,” Independent Balkan News Agency quoted the minister as saying.
He pointed out that Greece depends on gas imports from Russia and with the TAP pipeline, LNG facilities in Revythousa, FSRU in Alexandroupolis, the country will have another opportunity to get LNG or gas from other sources,
Talking about the progress in the implementation of IGB, Stathakis said that the construction of IGB is the final stage, since according to the schedule the tenders for the two parts of this project are expected to be concluded in a couple of months, after which the construction can start.
IGB is a gas pipeline, which will allow Bulgaria to receive Azerbaijani gas, in particular, the gas produced from Azerbaijan's Shah Deniz 2 gas and condensate field. IGB is expected to be connected to TAP via which gas from the Shah Deniz field will be delivered to the European markets.
The initial capacity of IGB will be 3 billion cubic meters of gas.
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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