BAKU, Azerbaijan, Aug.26
By Leman Zeynalova – Trend:
Construction works for the Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) in Greece and Albania are complete for both the pipeline and the compressor stations and the introduction of gas as part of our testing phase, Vugar Veysalov, TAP Head of External Affairs, told Trend.
“These have been successfully achieved. The Kipoi compressor station in Greece has also been commissioned and tested with gas,” he said.
Veysalov noted that the introduction of gas has been achieved at both the Bilisht metering station and the Fier compressor station.
“In Italy, the construction works for both the onshore and offshore sections of the pipeline are substantially complete. The introduction of gas into the onshore pipeline and the pipeline receiving terminal are scheduled for the third quarter of 2020, in line with the project schedule,” 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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