BAKU, Azerbaijan, Nov.18
By Leman Zeynalova – Trend:
With Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP), an important source of gas comes on stream, as it opens a new route and a new source of supply, Luca Schieppati, TAP’s Managing Director said, Trend reports.
"The new pipeline will be filled up with gas and bring further competition. Contracts for 10 BCM a year for 25 years have been stipulated by seven major operators, wholesalers who in the past have already contributed to making the Italian market more competitive," he added.
Four and a half years after the inauguration of construction works in Thessaloniki, the Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP), an 878-km gas transportation system crossing Greece, Albania, the Adriatic Sea and Italy, began commercial operations.
TAP’s shareholding is comprised of bp (20 percent), SOCAR (20 percent), Snam (20 percent), Fluxys (19 percent), Enagás (16 percent) and Axpo (5 percent).
TAP’s shareholders have passed the resolution on the development and construction of the project at the end of 2013.
A few facts and figures on what the TAP project has entailed so far:
Traveling through Greece (550 km), Albania (215 km), under the Adriatic Sea (105 km) and coming ashore in Italy (8 km).
Laying approximately 55,000 pieces of pipe, weighing a total of 520,000 tonnes; from an altitude of 2,100m in the Albanian mountains to a depth of 810m in the Adriatic Sea.
Working over 50 million man-hours and driving around 140 million kilometres, without any major incident – a world-class safety record.
Securing €3.9 billion for project financing and complying with the lenders' robust social and environmental requirements.
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