Azernews.Az

By Abdul Kerimkhanov

Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama has said that the Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP), which is among the most strategic projects in Europe, is 90 percent complete.

Earlier, Albanian President Ilir Meta said during the 7th Global Baku Forum on 14 March 2019, that TAP has considerably impacted Albania’s role in the region and beyond.

TAP, along with TANAP, is a part of Southern Gas Corridor project that envisages transportation of gas from Azerbaijani Shah Deniz-2 gas field to Greece and southern Italy across the Adriatic Sea through Greece and Albania and involves designing, construction and operation of the natural gas pipeline.

Albania, Italy and Greece signed the Intergovernmental Agreement on the TAP project in February 2013. The cost of the project is 4.5 billion euros.

TAP will transverse Greece, Albania and the Adriatic Sea to reach Italy. Azerbaijani gas is expected to reach European markets by 2020.

The TAP project is one of the strategic objectives of the EU in the energy security and diversification of energy sources, chosen as the shortest and direct way to export natural gas from Azerbaijan to the European markets.

Construction of nearly 74.6 percent of the 878 km pipeline has been completed, of which 550 kilometers will pass through the northern part of Greece, 215 kilometers - Albania, 105 kilometers - the Adriatic Sea and 8 kilometers - Italy. The TAP pipeline is expected to be commissioned in 2020. The initial capacity of TAP will be 10 billion cubic meters of gas per year with the possibility of doubling it.

TAP shareholders include BP (20 percent), SOCAR (20 percent), Snam S.p.A. (20 percent), Fluxys (19 percent), Enagas (16 percent) and Axpo (5 percent).

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Abdul Kerimkhanov is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @AbdulKerim94

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