Baku, Azerbaijan, July 19
By Leman Zeynalova – Trend:
The prospects of increasing the capacity of the Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) are being examined in a market test launched on July 1, said Katerina Papalexandri, TAP Country Manager for Greece, Trend reports citing Greek media.
She noted that 79 percent of the land along the TAP route has been returned to the users and the construction of surface infrastructure has been completed.
More than 800 companies supplied TAP with products and services, added Papalexandri.
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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