BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 31. The Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) is currently conducting tests on pipeline materials, Luca Schieppati, TAP managing director, said in an exclusive interview with Trend ahead of the Baku Energy Week to be held from June 4 through June 6.
“TAP could progressively double the pipeline’s capacity which is currently 10 bcm/a. TAP’s expansion capacity is offered to the market through regular Market Tests. Our potential full expansion will not only address the security of supply challenges but could also contribute to advancing the EU's decarbonization targets by facilitating the transportation of new volumes of hydrogen and other renewable gases in the future. Our ambition is to develop the asset for hydrogen transportation, initially in the form of a blend with natural gas,” he said.
Schieppati noted that in 2021, an initial study on hydrogen readiness verified TAP’s capability to transport hydrogen blend in the future.
Having invested in developing the necessary test facilities, we are currently conducting tests on pipeline materials.
“We expect the initial results for the offshore pipeline towards Q3 2024. We are working closely with our shareholders, key vendors, and the industry, as the investment in facility upgrades and the percentage of hydrogen to be transported will likely be developed incrementally over time to align with hydrogen market demands and comply with related market regulations,” he added.
The Trans Adriatic Pipeline operates a natural gas transportation infrastructure from the Greek border with Türkiye to Southern Italy, enabling interested parties to market gas to several European countries.
TAP provides a direct and cost-effective transportation route as part of the Southern Gas Corridor, a 3,500 kilometre gas value chain stretching from the Caspian Sea to Europe.
Working to national and international safety and operational standards, TAP acts as a Transmission System Operator (TSO) and Independent Transmission Operator (ITO), providing capacity to shippers interested in transporting gas in a safe, reliable and efficient manner.
The pipeline starts near the Evros area of Kipoi at the Greek-Turkish border, where it is connected to the Trans Anatolian Pipeline (TANAP). It traverses northern Greece westwards to Ieropigi, Kastoria at the Greek-Albanian border. Crossing Albania and the Adriatic Sea, the pipeline comes ashore in Southern Italy to connect to the Italian gas network.
TAP’s routing facilitates gas supply to several South East European countries and its landfall in Italy provides multiple opportunities for further transportation of Caspian gas to the wider European markets.
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