The construction of the Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) project to carry Azerbaijani natural gas from Turkish border to Europe will start in late May, Ian Bradshaw, managing director of TAP said on Tuesday.
The groundbreaking ceremony of the pipeline project will be in Thessaloniki, Greece, he was quoted as saying by Azerbaijan’s state news agency Azertac, during the 2nd Southern Gas Corridor Advisory Council meeting in Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan.
The Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) will be 882 kilometers long with an initial capacity of 10 billion cubic meters per year to transfer Azerbaijan’s natural gas through interconnections with other pipelines to Europe from the Turkish border. It is the extension of TANAP, Trans Anatolian Natural Gas Pipeline, which runs through Turkey. Gas flow to Europe via Turkey is projected to begin in 2020.
TAP will connect with the Trans Anatolian Natural gas Pipeline (TANAP) at the Greece-Turkey border and cross northern Greece, Albania and the Adriatic Sea before going onshore in southern Italy, where it will link up with the Snam-operated Italian natural gas network.
All are part of the Southern Gas Corridor, which will connect the giant Shah Deniz gas field in Azerbaijan to Europe through the South Caucasus Pipeline (SCP), TANAP and the Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP).
Norwegian energy giant Statoil agreed to sell its 20 percent stake in the pipeline to Italy's Snam for €208 million in December 2015.
The share percentage is broken down with Snam now holding a 20 percent share, BP and Socar also hold a 20 percent share each, Belgian Fluxys holds 19 percent, Spanish Enagas has a 16 percent share and Swiss Axpo with 5 percent.
By Ugur Ertas
Anadolu Agency
ugur.ertas@aa.com.tr