Baku, Azerbaijan, July 10
By Leman Zeynalova – Trend:
The Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) consortium expects 100 percent of pipes in Greece and Albania to be in ground by late 2019, Luca Schieppati, TAP Managing Director, said in an interview with Energy, Oil & Gas magazine (EOG).
“Between Greece, Albania and Italy, around 98 percent of the pipes are already in the ground and reinstatement is more than 94 percent completed. We expect 100 percent of the pipes in Greece and Albania to be in the ground by the end of the year. In the meantime, completed segments of the pipeline are handed over for the commissioning phase of the project,” he said.
He went on to add that TAP’s routing can facilitate gas supply to several south-eastern European countries.
“At a macro level, TAP will help Europe transition to a low-carbon economy, diversify sources of supply, strengthen the continent’s gas competition and enhance its gas connectivity,” noted TAP managing director.
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).
---
Follow the author on Twitter: @Lyaman_Zeyn