BAKU, Azerbaijan, Dec.4
By Leman Zeynalova – Trend:
The Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) consortium will hold a market test in 2021 to increase its capacity from existing 10 billion cubic meters to 20 billion cubic meters, Luca Schieppati, TAP managing director said, Trend reports.
“The project is now operational. The opening of the Southern Gas Corridor is a key step towards Europe's energy security. With the 10bcm of gas that TAP will initially transport, it can meet about a third of Bulgaria's gas demand, one quarter of Greece (1 bcm ) and about 12 percent of Italian gas demand (8bcm),” he said.
TAP will also support market integration in Southeastern Europe through interconnections with key energy infrastructures, such as the IGB (Interconnector Greece Bulgaria) or the IAP (Ionian Adriatic Pipeline) while actively contributing to its global carbon emission reduction target.
Four and a half years after the inauguration of construction works in Thessaloniki, Southern Gas Corridor’s European leg, the Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP), an 878-km gas transportation system crossing Greece, Albania, the Adriatic Sea and Italy, began commercial operations.
Gas supplies via the Southern Gas Corridor will begin in coming months, Ibrahim Ahmadov, deputy head of the Public Relations and Event Management Department at Azerbaijan’s state oil company SOCAR, told Trend.
“After the completion of construction, the Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) was connected to the network of Italian Snam company. Thereby, the pipeline running from Azerbaijan to Europe has been connected to the European network and is fully ready for gas supplies. It means that the Southern Gas Corridor has been completed. Direct gas transportation from the Caspian basin to Europe via this system will start in coming months,” he said.
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