The Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) has delivered a total of 5 billion cubic meters of natural gas from Azerbaijan to Europe, according to a statement from the operating company, TAP AG, on Thursday.
The pipeline, the European section of the Southern Gas Corridor, began operations at the end of last year.
TAP connects to the Trans Anatolian Natural Gas Pipeline (TANAP) at the Turkish-Greek border, transporting natural gas from the Shah Deniz field in the Azerbaijan sector of the Caspian Sea to Europe.
The 878-kilometer-long pipeline, after connecting with TANAP at the Turkish-Greek border in Kipoi, crosses Greece and Albania, and the Adriatic Sea and comes ashore in Southern Italy.
'We are very pleased to reach this important milestone and consolidate TAP's role as a reliable transmission system operator on the European energy landscape. In addition to enabling energy security and diversification across multiple markets, the gas volumes delivered via TAP support the energy transition, especially in South Eastern Europe,' Luca Schieppati, TAP managing director, was quoted in the statement.
Schieppati noted that TAP AG would pursue opportunities to transport carbon-neutral energy sources, such as hydrogen, which will help reduce emissions in line with the European Union's energy transition goals.
The pipeline has a capacity to transport around 10 billion cubic meters annually to several markets in Europe but is designed with the potential to expand its throughput capacity to 20 billion cubic meters per annum, the statement said.
TAP’s shareholders are bp, SOCAR and Snam each with a 20% share, Fluxys with 19%, Enagas with 16%, and Axpo with 5%.
By Nuran Erkul Kaya
Anadolu Agency
energy@aa.com.tr