Baku, Azerbaijan, June 21
By Leman Zeynalova - Trend:
The consortium for construction of the Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) will minimize the work on offshore section in summer months, Luca Schieppati, TAP Managing Director, said in an exclusive interview with Trend.
He noted that works on the offshore section are ongoing and activities are progressing on schedule.
“TAP’s first offshore pipelines (7km) in Albania were successfully installed and backfilled in May.In Italy, the 1.5km micro-tunnel, which allows our pipeline to completely bypass the beach, has been completed at the end of April. In line with our voluntary commitment to avoid impact on the tourism season, offshore works will be minimal during the summer months; for instance, surveys or onshore/offshore tie-ins,” noted the managing director.
The remaining offshore pipeline installation will be completed on time for TAP to transport Azerbaijani gas to Europe in 2020, he added.
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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