The Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP), part of the Southern Gas Corridor, will be able to transport 10 billion cubic meters of gas per year equal to 40% of Bulgaria’s demand for natural gas, TAP commercial and external affairs director Ulrike Andres has said.
"TAP and the Southern Gas Corridor are a key step towards energy security, diversification and decarbonization,” a Twitter post from TAP quoted Andres as saying at the European Gas Conference in Vienna on Tuesday.
Around 10 billion cubic meters of gas to be transported from Shah Deniz II field in Azerbaijan to Europe via TAP will also meet one-third of Greece’s demand and around 12% of Italy’s demand for gas, Andres added.
"TAP enables the introduction of a cleaner energy source, especially in Southeast Europe, which is overly reliant on coal,” Andres said, adding that TAP and Southern Gas Corridor will contribute to reducing CO2 emissions and achieving environment protection targets.
Currently, around two-thirds of the pipe's length has been lowered into the ground on the TAP route in Albania and Greece, the consortium said in a Twitter post late on Monday.
The Southern Gas Corridor consists of the South Caucasus Pipeline (SCP), which crosses Azerbaijan and Georgia, the Trans-Anatolian Pipeline (TANAP), and TAP, which will stretch from the Greek border with Turkey, via Albania and the Adriatic Sea, to reach Italy's coast.
TAP's initial capacity will be 10 billion cubic meters of gas per year, which could double further on. TAP consortium plans to start full-scale operation of the pipeline in 2020.
Shareholders of TAP are BP, Azerbaijan’s state company Socar and Italy’s Snam with 20% each, Belgium’s Fluxys with 19%, Spain’s Enagas with 16% and Swiss-based Axpo with 5%.
(SeeNews)
