BAKU, Azerbaijan, July 10
By Leman Zeynalova – Trend:
The start of gas deliveries to Europe from Azerbaijan’s Shah Deniz gas and condensate field through the Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) is planned in October 2020, said TAP Director of Corporate Services Jonathan Collingwood, Trend reports.
“We will dedicate the upcoming months to the successful commissioning of the pipeline along its various sections, with progressive testing, in order to be prepared for operations and the start of commercial gas deliveries to Europe. In parallel, we are preparing for commercial operations as an independent transmission operator (ITO),” he told Greece Investor Guide.
He noted that the overall progress of the TAP project, in all three of its host countries – Greece, Albania, and Italy – has exceeded the 90 percent mark.
“In Greece, we’ve also completed the stage of mechanical construction and have begun the testing phase. Specifically, on 25 November 2019, TAP started to introduce the first natural gas into a 2 km section of the pipeline between River Evros and the compressor station at Kipoi. This is the initial stage of the pipeline commissioning process, which aims to ensure that the infrastructure is safe and ready for operations,” said Collingwood.
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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