Trans Adriatic Pipeline AG (TAP AG), the operator of a pipeline delivering natural gas from Azerbaijan to Europe via Albania, is set to start supplying the Balkan country with some 200 million cubic metres gas per year from 2026, as part of its capacity expansion plan, Azerbaijani energy ministry said.
TAP AG’s first stage of capacity expansion sees an additional 1.2 billion cubic metres per year delivered as of 2026, of which 1 billion cubic metres is designated for delivery to Italy, the energy ministry said in a press release on Thursday, following a meeting with TAP AG’s managing director Luca Schieppati.
TAP's current operational capacity is 10 billion cubic metres annually. The operator has said it aims at doubling the pipeline’s capacity by 2027.
The Albanian government is interested in establishing gas infrastructure in districts across Albania, the energy ministry has said. The pilot project, focusing in the south-eastern city of Korca, is currently in its preliminary stages.
Albania is looking to diversify its energy resources to reduce reliance on hydro power plants, which account for the greatest part of the country’s total power output.
The Trans Adriatic Pipeline is part of the Southern Gas Corridor, transporting natural gas to Europe from the Shah Deniz II field in Azerbaijan. Connecting with Trans Anatolian Pipeline (TANAP) at the Greek border with Turkey, TAP stretches 878 kilometres across northern Greece, Albania and the Adriatic Sea before reaching southern Italy's coast.
(SeeNews, March 1, 2024)
