BAKU, Azerbaijan, June 24
By Leman Zeynalova – Trend:
Facilities of the Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) at the Nea Mesimvria interconnection point with Greek natural gas operator DESFA will be ready in line with overall project schedule, Vugar Veysalov, TAP Head of External Affairs, told Trend.
Earlier, DESFA announced the completion of the connection project with TAP this year.
TAP and DESFA have an Interconnection Agreement for the Interconnection Point Nea Mesimvria.
The Interconnection agreement aims to:
Establish agreed terms for the safe, reliable and effective co-operation of the interconnected transmission systems, namely TAP and DESFA;
Determine the conditions for coordinated operation of the interconnected gas transmission systems;
Establish data/information exchange and agree the bilateral collaboration of the respective transmission system operators (DESFA and TAP);
“The project schedule remains unchanged and TAP continues to work towards being ready to deliver first gas from Shah Deniz by the end of 2020. The readiness of each interconnection point along TAP’s route remains subject to the completion of those facilities by relevant adjacent transmission system operators,” said Veysalov.
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