BAKU, Azerbaijan, December 1. Greece will soon be carrying additional gas from the Caspian Sea and sending more gas to the north, but also to Italy, said Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Greek PM, Trend reports via the local media.
“I could argue that to some extent Europe’s energy security will pass through Greece. And as the industry evolves, of course we will evolve with it, planning to transport biomethane and hydrogen in the coming years,” said the prime minister.
Mitsotakis went on to add that the country’s pipeline infrastructure is expanding.
“Two years ago, we launched the Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) connecting the Caspian Sea to Italy. Now the expansion of TAP is already under consideration to support the European goal of importing more natural gas from Azerbaijan. On October 1 we celebrated in Sofia the commercial operation of the Interconnector Greece-Bulgaria (IGB),” he added.
The prime minister pointed out that Greece has made a strategic bet on natural gas.
“Domestically, natural gas is one of the main reasons why coal consumption has fallen by nearly 80 percent in a decade. And natural gas has been and will be an integral part of our energy transition strategy,” said Mitsotakis.
As the European section of the Southern Gas Corridor, TAP has the capacity to transport approximately 10 billion cubic meters of gas per annum (bcm/a) to several markets in Europe. The pipeline is also designed with the potential to expand its throughput capacity up to 20 bcm/a.
As a key part of the Southern Gas Corridor, TAP is strategically and economically important to Europe and essential in providing reliable access to a new source of natural gas. TAP plays a significant role in boosting Europe’s energy security, supply diversification, as well as decarbonisation objectives.
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).
---
Follow the author on Twitter: @Lyaman_Zeyn